Snow White In Middle Earth
by Aerith The Evenstar
Summary: Without giving too much away, it's basically a modern day Snow White like character ending up in Middle Earth during the events to The Hobbit. Mainly covers the events from the movies. (Couldn't think of a good summary at the time, so this'll have to do for now).
1. Prologue

ATE: Okay, I know it's been a LOOONG time since I've posted or uploaded anything on this site, and some people may have thought "What happened to her? Why hasn't she updated in so long?" Here's my answer: for some strange reason I temporarily lost my drive to write fanfics after I last updated back in July last year (which is a pretty long time even for me). But I decided to make a comeback with this story here that I'd like to call **Snow White In Middle** **Earth **(I couldn't think of anything else for the title so this might be the working title or a permanent one).

The reason as to why I wrote this story: I read a lot of fanfics for The Hobbit category and liked the idea of a girl ending up in Middle Earth (what person hasn't read one and found one they've liked?). But my story here is different! I decided to basically make it a sort of modern day Snow White falls into Middle Earth, since for some reason I was thinking Snow White and then, "Oh look! Dwarves! And not just 7, but 13 of them!"

Just a fair warning, it's not going to follow the plot of Snow White completely. This story will follow the events of the movies (and probably a bit of the book if I feel up to it) while making some parallels to the story of Snow White (like the OC's appearance being based off of Snow White, her having a stepmother, yadda yadda yadda). It'll incorporate some of the plot for the fairy tale as well.

Also, seeing as this story will follow the events of the movies, I'll have to wait for the third movie to come out on DVD (I'm also going to use scenes from the extended versions of the movies when I get my hands on the last two, seeing as I own the extended version of An Unexpected Journey).

So I might either write the part of the story concerning Desolation of Smaug from the regular version and then go back and rewrite the chapters a bit to include the scenes from the extended version when it comes out, or wait for the extended version of said movie and then write along with it (I'm thinking of leaning towards the former, but we'll have to wait and see how long it takes me to finish the plot of the first movie).

What else can I add that I haven't said yet? Oh yeah! I did some research for some of the details I add into this story so that I make references to aspect of the world Tolkien created. So, yeah...

Declaimer: I don't own The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, or anything related to the franchise, books, or movies. J.R.R. Tolkien owns the rights to the books, while Peter Jackson owns the rights to the movie. I only own the OCs in this story. We good?

* * *

**Snow White In Middle Earth**

~*~Prologue~*~

Once upon a time, a man married a beautiful woman and had a child. No one knew exactly where the woman came from before they met, but the man loved the woman and his new child regardless. They named their child Silvia*, not because it was beautiful name, but because of the woman's love for the forest and nature itself. The new family was happy and Silvia was loved, growing as beautiful as her mother as she aged.

One day, however, the happiness ended. Silvia's mother had gotten sick for some strange reason when she was only 10 years old. No one could figure out how she had gotten sick or what she caught, and because they couldn't figure out how to make her well she passed away. Silvia's father grieved for the loss of his wife, but he continued to love and care for his daughter, for that was the promise he made her on her deathbed.

Two years passed had past and the father considered having another motherly figure in Silvia's life, if only to be supportive when she would someday make the transition into womanhood. He had found a woman named Emily** to become his new wife and serve as the mother figure he believed his daughter needed. When Emily first saw Silvia, she grew jealous of the young girl's beauty, for the woman had worked hard to obtain her own beauty her whole life while the child before her had been born with it. The woman hid her jealousy while Silvia's father was around, pretending to love the girl like her own daughter, but as soon as he turned around she would act coldly towards her and glare daggers.

When Silvia had gotten home from school one day, she had found the police outside her house and had gone inside to find out that her father was dead (having shot himself when he was drinking, they had told her) while an hysteric looking Emily cried her eyes out. Because of this sad incident Emily was given full custody of Silvia. But it didn't end there.

Following the death of her father Emily's treatment of Silvia got worse since he was no longer around. The woman would verbally abuse her for the most part and would strike the girl if she got out of line. Emily hoped to damage Silvia's self-esteem for making her feel inferior, and for a while it had worked.

But one day it stopped working.

And that day was Silvia's 18th birthday.

* * *

Silvia was woken up by the sound of her alarm clock blaring loudly. She silenced the alarm, seeing the red glowing numbers read 5:00 a.m. making her groan sleepily. Ever since she started middle school Emily (she refused to call that woman her 'mother') had been making her wake up so early and getting her to go to bed late, but Silvia had figured a way out of this by saying that she had a lot of homework she need to do when in reality she had done it at school. Silvia got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom to take a shower. On the way she stopped to look at a photograph of herself and her parents.

'_Before mom died._' She reminded herself.

Silvia's mother had been the most beautiful person she had ever known, having fair colored skin, long light blonde hair, and high cheek bones. Her brown eyes sparkled merrily as she looked into the camera lens, a beautiful smile on her face while her slender arms wrapped around a giggle young Silvia. Her father, she mused, seemed to contrast his wife's appearance, having black hair, tanned skin, and blue eyes.

While Silvia had inherited her mother's beauty and fair skin, she had received her father's black hair and blue eyes. She found it ironic that she had a little bit of both her parents' traits even though they were both gone, making her feel as if they were still with her to this day.

Silvia then remembered why she came down this way in the first place. Shower, she told herself. After getting her morning rituals done she quickly got dressed and headed downstairs to get the house cleaned up and the dishes from last night done before starting on breakfast, knowing that Emily would be waking up at 7 a.m. The only reason Emily was waking up early was because there was a Renaissance Fair going on that day that she was a part of, being picked to be the Queen. Emily came into the kitchen a few minutes past 7 a.m. and went to sit down at the table, her head in her hands as she shut her eyes and her brown hair fell in her face.

"Tough night?" Silvia asked, filling a mug with coffee and mixing creamer and sugar in before placing it down on the table in front of the woman to drink.

Emily lifted her green gaze to glare at Silvia.

"Don't talk to me about last night." She sneered.

Silvia knew better than to ask, seeing as she saw this outcome for her stepmother. Her most recent boyfriend had dumped her and because of that she had gone drinking. And now she was dealing with the consequences of a hangover.

'_Serves her right._' She thought, feeling no amount of pity for the woman before her.

Silvia placed Emily's breakfast in front of her before taking a few strips of bacon for herself. She sat quietly waiting for her to make the next move. Emily soon finished her breakfast before suddenly getting up from the table.

"I have something for you." Emily said.

"For what?" Silvia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"For your hard work, and because I want you to be a part of the festivities today." Now Silvia knew that whatever Emily had to give her wasn't going to be pleasant. And she was right to assume so when she saw the ugly brown peasant costume the woman pulled out. She even had the nerve to plaster on a fake smile on her face. "Happy birthday, Silvia!"

Silvia frowned at this. So far her birthday had been anything but happy.

"Why am I not surprised?"

Emily dropped her fake smile, showing how furious she was. Before she knew it, Silvia's cheek was stinking from being backhanded.

"You ugly spoiled brat! How can you be so ungrateful when I have given you so much? I've placed a roof over your head, provided you with food and clothing, even given you your own room when I could've left you to the system. And this is the thanks I get? If only Richard could see you now. He'd be so disappointed in you."

Silvia's jaw tightened, angry that Emily had brought her father into this discussion. Even in death she still used her father against her as her own twisted version of the guilt trip. This wasn't fair! Why was she stuck here with Emily for so long when she should've been with her grandmother? Silvia took a deep breath in order to calm down before pretending to be guilty.

"I'm sorry, Emily." She lied. "I've forgotten that you've done so much for me, and it wasn't right of me to act the way I did when you went through the trouble of getting me a gift."

Emily regarded Silvia with a thoughtful look before speaking.

"Apology accepted." She responded, handing the costume to Silvia. "Remember that the Fair starts at 9. I still need to get ready since I have to be there an hour before it starts."

"Yes, your Highness." Silvia made a show of doing a slight curtsy.

Emily ignored her and she knew she had gone back to her room. Silvia had a feeling that she slept her way into getting the part of the Queen, which wouldn't have surprised her.

Silvia picked up Emily's dishes, rinsed them off, and stuck them in the dishwasher. She was trying to keep herself busy as she waited for the woman to leave the house. And when she came downstairs, she saw Emily in the beautiful yet generic gown that was made for the role of the Queen.

"You look beautiful." Silvia told her, hoping to placate her.

"Of course I do!" Emily said, sticking her nose in the air. "I'm the Queen!"

'_And also vain._' She added silently.

With that Emily left, slamming the door behind her. Silvia waited a few minutes before running up the stairs (with the ugly costume in hand) to her room. She placed it on her bed before going to her closet, pulling out a beautiful dress. Silvia had known that her stepmother would try to upstage her (pun not intended) on her own birthday and had made this costume months in advance so it would be ready for today.

The whole outfit was floor length with a long sleeved turtle neck dress that was to be worn underneath the light blue overdress. The sleeves of the light blue overdress started slightly puffy, but cut off at the end near her bicep where it opened up and flowed out.

She was proud of the dress she made and carefully packed it up before turning to the brown peasant costume. She would wear the costume, but only so she could get into the Fair without Emily knowing she'd gone behind her back and made her own costume. And once she was inside she would make her fist stop the restroom in order to change.

Silvia went over to a drawer and pulled out the only memento of her mother that she had. It was a simple necklace with a silver chain and a smooth garnet stone set in a golden oval case. She smiled down at it, a determined look in her blue eyes.

For 6 years she had dealt with Emily's verbal abuse and bullshit.

No longer would she submit to that woman who had tried to destroy her self-esteem.

Silvia was going to make a stand.

She was going to _fight_!

* * *

As soon as Silvia had gotten to the Renaissance Fair she had made a bee-line for the nearest restroom and changed into her own costume before throwing away the ugly brown peasant costume in the trash. Leaving the restroom she wandered around the fairground, surprised at the amount of people that came up and complimented her costume. Everyone liked it. They liked it so much that word got around the fairground of the pretty girl in the beautiful light blue and white dress.

And it wasn't until she saw Emily storming up to her that she realized that the stepmother had found out about her costume change. But despite the furious look on Emily's face, Silvia stood her ground.

"You bitch!" Emily hissed quietly so only Silvia could hear. "Why aren't you wearing the costume I got you?""

"Did you really think I would wear that and let you upstage me on my birthday?" Silvia retorted.

Emily took a step back and glared at her. If looks could kill.

"I've had enough! For 6 years I've had to feel inferior to you for your own beauty while I've had to work hard to get what I have. I despise you for the fact that you were given your beauty. But not anymore!"

Suddenly Emily pulled a gun on Silvia, who froze in place. The security guards (that were dressed up in fitting costumes) tried to stop the woman, but she easily shot them (they might as well have worn nothing seeing how their 'armor' had been made).

Chaos broke out and everyone started running away, including Silvia who had used the crowd to her advantage to hide as she fled from Emily. Suddenly hearing gunshots behind her she looked over her shoulder, her eyes widening to see that the woman was not only trying to shoot at her, but at anyone who got in her way as she chased after Silvia.

She had to get away from everyone or else more people were going to get hurt or killed.

Suddenly Silvia's body jerked forward as pain exploded from her shoulder, followed by more pain in her leg, causing her to fall to the ground. She realized in shock that she'd been shot by Emily when the woman herself appeared in her vision, a sadistic look on her face as she smiled down at her.

"Oh, Silvia. That shade of red really suits your pale skin." Emily taunted before kicking her in order to roll her over onto her back. "It's too bad that it had to end like this, just like with Richard all those years ago."

Before Silvia could even ask what she was talking about, Emily shot her again, making her body jerk slightly. She started feeling lightheaded from the blood she was losing and staining her dress. Emily started saying something, but her voice sounded so far off.

'_So this is how I die…_' Silvia thought, feeling tears at the corner of her eyes before they fell. '_I don't want to die…_'

She felt terrified that she was going to die. She thought back on her life, thought of her loving father and beautiful mother, thought of the happiness she had during her childhood. And this was how it was going to end? At the hands of a vain and jealous stepmother?

Silvia's vision started to slowly fade when the police officers showed up and arrested Emily. She saw one of the officers kneel beside her and say something, but at this point she couldn't hear anything.

The last thing Silvia saw was what looked like the form of a woman concealed in white light, the only feature she could make out was long light blonde hair that floated around the woman's form. The woman reached out a soft hand to caress the side of her face, and Silvia could feel the warmth coming from it. She wondered if the woman before her was an angel coming to take her to heaven.

'_Mom…_' She thought before everything end dark.

* * *

ATE: So we've reached the end of the prologue. Three things I'd like to point out:

(1) Name choices: I chose to be clever with the names I picked for the Snow White OC and the stepmother by picking meanings that would apply to their characters. I actually looked these names up:

*Silvia - (Latin) meaning "From the forest". This will come into play in the next chapter. This choice of name also hints towards her mother's identity  
**Emily - (Latin) meaning "Imitating, rivaling". this plays along with the fact that Emily was trying to imitate the role of Silvia's new mother, while she ended up becoming her rival in beauty.

(2) Silvia's mother's identity: It might be obvious, it might not be obvious. It depends on how observant each reader is. There are actually a few hints towards her identity, but more details will be added. I've already picked out a name for her, but that won't be revealed until later in the story (and before you ask, yes the mother is an OC as well). If you've already figured out her identity yet, then good for you and you can mention it in a review to me if you want.

(3) The person that Silvia encounters right at the end of the prologue: This is not an OC of mine and is actually a creation of Tolkien's. Brownie points to anyone who can guess who she is!

One MORE thing: I posted an image I created of Silvia in the costume she wears (it's the same one as the image I used for this story and I have two of them up on DeviantArt, but I'm using the clearer version). Just look up Aerith-The-Evenstar on DeviantArt and look up Silvia Renaissance Costume and you should find it.

Other than that? What'd you think? Was it okay so far?

Thank you for reading and please remember to review! ;D


	2. From The Forest

ATE: My golly! I posted the prologue this past Friday, and I already got 68 views total. In all honesty, I'm not really surprised that I didn't get any reviews from the previous chapter, seeing as it was the prologue and all. However, I anticipate getting a review out of this one here! I'm still wondering if any readers were able to guess the entity at the end of the prologue, but then again, there might be that one reader that decides to take a wild guess (I could be wrong).

Okay, I bet you're tired of hearing me ramble on like this, so let's get to the declaimer!

Declaimer: I don't own The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, or anything related to the franchise, books, or movies. J.R.R. Tolkien owns the rights to the books, while Peter Jackson owns the rights to the movie. I only own the OCs in this story. We good?

* * *

~*~Chapter 1~*~

A good few hours had passed since Bilbo Baggins had managed to catch up to the Company of Thorin Oakenshield (And having been presented his new – ahem – handkerchief by Bofur). Aside from his sneezing atop Myrtle's back and the friendly banter, songs, and tales amongst the Dwarves, everything had so far been uneventful. Bilbo had expected a little more out of the journey than riding ponies through the forests leaving Bywater. Then again they hadn't even journeyed for a full day. Maybe Gandalf had been right and his expectations of what he thought this quest would be like had been shaped and influenced by the many books resting on their shelves back at Bag End. Back home.

Speaking about Gandalf, Bilbo turned to face the grey wizard that rode beside him on his own horse.

"Gandalf?" Bilbo asked, his meek voice gaining the Wizard's attention since he turned to face him. "Is the rest of this journey going to be like this? Riding ponies and relatively as calm as it is now?"

At this Gandalf smiled a knowing smile at the Hobbit, his blue eyes twinkling in amusement.

"My dear Bilbo. I can tell your expectations had been quite high for someone who claimed to not want any adventures." Gandalf said. "But despite that, none can truly say if a journey will be exciting or uneventful. It merely depends on what you make of it and the circumstances involved along the way."

"And what kind of circumstances would that entail?"

"That, Bilbo, is for you to find out for yourself while on this journey."

Bilbo pondered over Gandalf's words in his mind. What _would _he make of this journey when it finally reached its end? Would it be something that he could share with others when he returned to The Shire? He turned to look off to the side and peered into the forest, admiring the green of the trees and the blue cloth on the grass.

Blue cloth?

Bilbo did a double take, blinking to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

It was _still _there!

"Stop! We have to stop!" Bilbo called.

At this the Hobbit heard a few groans from the Dwarves as they suddenly stopped.

"What is it this time? Did you forget something else?" Dwalin asked.

"Wha-? No, it's not that!"

"Then what is it?" Thorin asked.

"There's something out there." Bilbo pointed in the direction he was seeing the blue cloth. "Over there."

Bilbo watched as Thorin seemed to think through a decision before looking back up.

"Fili. Kili. Go see what it is."

At this Fili's and Kili's faces seemed to brighten up before getting off their ponies and wandering away from the group in the direction Bilbo pointed out, weapons drawn. It wasn't long before the two brothers came back, looking somewhat disturbed.

"We need Oin." Fili suddenly said.

"What did you find?" Thorin demanded.

"An injured woman." Kili answered.

Everyone seemed to tense at this before they all decided to dismount their ponies (or horse in the case of Gandalf) and followed Fili and Kili. Indeed they found an injured woman whose blood stained the beautiful light blue and white gown she wore.

She lay there on the ground before them, almost looking as if she were asleep, Bilbo thought. The woman had long black hair and fair colored skin. Slightly red lips were set in a line as she rested. Overall, she was beautiful.

"We have no reason to be here." Thorin suddenly said, causing everyone to look at him. "We're leaving."

"Thorin!" Gandalf started, making his way over to the Dwarf. "Surely you don't mean to leave this woman to die out here."

"This is none of our concern."

"It is now that we've come across this lass." Balin stated, joining the conversation. "I understand you want to reach Erebor, we all do, but leaving her here to die from her injuries doesn't settle well with our consciences. Do you really want this woman's death to weigh heavily on your mind once you are king?"

Bilbo watched as Thorin's brows knitted together as he contemplated what to do. He just hope that the Dwarf wouldn't decide to leave this woman here to die. Eventually Thorin lifted his head to look at the woman.

"We set up camp here for tonight." Thorin finally said. "Oin, tend to the woman's injuries. Fili, Kili, gather the ponies and bring them here."

As soon as the order was given, Oin went over to the woman with his pack full of supplies and started tending to her. At one point the Dwarf had to ask Ori for one of his sweaters, along with asking him and Bofur to hold up some blankets for the sake of the woman's privacy. Eventually Oin had finished tending to the woman and had left her to rest on a bedroll with the blanket drawn up as far as it could go (which was up to her chest).

It seemed that the majority of the Dwarves (except Thorin and Dwalin) were fascinated by the woman's beauty (himself included). He could hear them talking amongst themselves, wondering if she was of the race of Men or an Elf. Bilbo perked up in excitement at the thought of the woman being an Elf (how else could they explain her beauty?), but upon seeing the hard look on Thorin's face as he stormed over to the woman's resting place his excitement was dashed away and replaced with dread, anxious as to what he planned to do to her.

"She's an Elf?" Thorin growled.

He looked almost ready to drag the unconscious woman out of the bedroll and cast her back into the forest where they found her and leave her fate up to chance. But before he could lay a hand on her Gandalf stood up from where he had been smoking his pipe and intercepted Thorin.

"She is not an Elf, Thorin." Gandalf said, trying to pacify the dwarf king.

"And how would you know this?" He demanded.

"For one, she is not tall enough to be an Elf. As for the second, look at her ears." Gandalf knelt down beside the woman and pulled back some hair to reveal her ears. To everyone's surprise they were indeed rounded. "Do you see now, Thorin? She is not an Elf, so stay your hand."

Thorin seemed to grumble before walking off. By the time supper was cooking (they were having soup tonight) Bilbo noticed the woman start to stir and got everyone's attention before they headed over to where she was. Oin had told them to back up a bit so she would have room to breathe and not feel overwhelmed by their numbers. They watched as her eye lids slowly fluttered open, revealing blue eyes underneath her eye lashes. Her face soon showed her confusion at seeing herself surrounded by 13 Dwarves, a Hobbit, and a Wizard. She tried to sit up, only for Oin to go over and carefully assist her. She looked around at all of them as cautious as a doe while taking in their appearance.

"Where am I?" She finally asked, her voice soft and reminding Bilbo of small birds chirping in the morning and the scent of lavender: soothing. "Who are you all?"

"You are safe, my dear, and among those who would not wish you harm." The last bit was aimed towards Thorin since Gandalf glanced his way and gave him a pointed look. "I am Gandalf the Grey. This here is the leader of our Company, Thorin Oakenshield, Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori, Ori, and last but not least Bilbo Baggins."

Gandalf pointed to everyone as he named them off, the woman following with her gaze as she seemed to try and absorb everything. She looked up at Gandalf before giving a small smile.

"My name is Silvia." She said, introducing herself to everyone.

"Ah, a fitting name, seeing as we came across you while traveling through this forest*. Now tell me, Silvia. How was it that you came to be in the state you were in when we found you?"

"State?" She looked down at herself as a pained expression crossed her face, seeming as if she noticed for the first time that she was hurt. "Why am I in so much pain?"

"You don't remember getting hurt?" Silvia shook her head. "Do you remember anything else?"

"Just my name." She lowered her head, seeming sad.

It was then that Thorin stepped forward.

"By dawn we leave and send her on her way." Thorin stated.

At this the majority of the Dwarves started to protest, stating that she didn't have anywhere to go, that her amnesia would prevent her from knowing where she belonged, having no way to defend herself, or tell friend from foe. In all honesty, Bilbo was too intimidated to offer his own input on the matter and that anything he said would do more harm than good. He went over to Silvia's side and watched as she lifted her head to gaze at him.

"I'm sure everything will be fine." Bilbo told her, bending forward slightly to pat her hand in what he hoped would be a comforting way. "Any minute now and they should come up with something."

Ironically enough the Dwarves quieted down a bit and Thorin came forward, his decision made.

"Lady Silvia." He started, gaining the woman's attention. Everyone quieted as they listened to their leader. "After much discussion, my men have convinced me in allowing you to join us." Silvia was about to say something, but Thorin held up his hand, effectively silencing her. "On one condition. If you are to remain in my Company, you must contribute to the work by helping out in whatever way you can. Do I make myself clear?"

Bilbo watched with baited breath, hoping that Silvia would agree. To his relief he saw her nod her head.

"I accept your conditions…Thorin, was it?" At this Thorin nodded, letting her know that was his name. "If it means anything to you, I can help out with cooking."

"As long as you help out, you'll be fine. I cannot guarantee your safety, but we will try."

Silvia smiled.

"Thank you."

Thorin nodded before getting up and moving away and everyone else who chose to disperse to do their own thing. Oin then came over to Silvia, telling her that since her gown had been covered in blood, they had tried to clean it the best they could in the nearby stream before hanging it up to dry overnight.

"In the meantime, you'll have to settle with wearing the sweater that Ori lent." The healer concluded.

Silvia had thanked Oin before she was handed a bowl of soup by Bofur.

"Eat up, lass!" He told her with a warm smile. "It'll help with the recovery."

Supper had been a quiet matter that night, and eventually everyone went to sleep (aside from Dwalin, who had first watch). Bilbo, however, was still awake, the events of today playing over in his head. He thought back to how he had originally thought this journey was going to be uneventful, along with Gandalf's words. He smiled to himself. Today ended up being eventful after all, from having found Silvia in the forest, and now she had joined them on their quest to reclaim Erebor.

'_At least I won't be the only one to feel odd in this group._' He thought before dozing off.

* * *

ATE: Okay, that concludes chapter 1 of this story. You all might have noticed that I wrote this chapter from Bilbo's POV, seeing as using him would've been a good way to introduce Silvia to Thorin and the Company (also the fact that Bilbo never came across as being as biased as the dwarves in some aspects and was more open, in my opinion). I also tried to write in a way that was similar to Tolkien (even though I am not he) to make it feel like the reader was reading the book, or make it feel somewhat nostalgic in turn.

*I want to assume that they know the meaning of Silvia's name, and this is why I chose it originally, as mentioned in the previous chapter.

As for the dwarves: While I was writing this chapter down on paper (yes, I do that when I'm away from my laptop) I began to noticed how some of the dwarves' personalities are similar to those from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (I don't own this and never will) and I wrote them down:

Doc - Balin  
Grumpy - Thorin, Dwalin  
Happy - Bofur, Fili, Kili  
Sleepy - Bombur  
Dopey - Bifur, Oin  
Bashful - Ori, Dori  
Sneezy - Gloin, Nori

So anyways, I'm wondering how well I wrote the characters in this story so far (seeing as this is the first time for me when it comes to this story in general, and I'm trying to follow the character personalities from the movies). How well did I do? Was it okay?

Please remember to review.


	3. First Day Among Friends

ATE: I'll be honest with everyone here: This chapter, along with upcoming chapters 3-5, were originally one chapter. My reasons for splitting the original chapter 2 into chapters 2-5 was because (1) it was incredibly long (and even took me a good majority last week to write down on paper and at a word count of 8,243) and (2) there was so much going one that the amount of material I was covering would be quite overwhelming to read in one sitting and some details that I deemed crucial for the story would've been skimmed over. Plus there were parts in these chapters that weren't originally planned when I was writing up the outline covering the first movie, but ended up making there way into the story regardless (which tends to happen whenever I'm writing any chapter when it comes to my stories). Because of this I split it up for everyone's convenience.

Also, big thanks goes to **Diamond White** for her review of this story so far.

Declaimer: I don't own The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, or anything related to the franchise, books, or movies. J.R.R. Tolkien owns the rights to the books, while Peter Jackson owns the rights to the movies. I only own the OCs in this story. We good?

* * *

~*~Chapter 2~*~

Silvia felt someone shaking her gently before opening her eyes to see the nice man that had made her feel happy when the others were talking about what to do with her last night.

"Good morning." He greeted, giving her a smile which she returned.

"Morning." She replied. "Billy, was it?"

"_Bilbo_." He corrected, trying not to laugh. "I have your dress here, which happens to be dry by the way."

"Thank you."

Bilbo had led Silvia a short distance away from the camp in order to allow her the privacy to change back into her dress. Once finished she was led back to the others to have breakfast with them.

It was then that Silvia realized how short everyone was (she was only 5'3). The majority of the men here were short (seeing as the tallest one seemed to be around 5 feet or so); Bilbo looking childlike due to his stature, while Gandalf towered over everyone like an imposing statue. Silvia also noticed that Bilbo wasn't wearing any shoes and instead had hair on his large feet.

What were Bilbo and the rest of the men here?

Silvia's train of thought was broken when she realized everyone was starting to pack up their things, and that was when she remembered Thorin's words to her about helping out. She went back to the bedroll she had slept on, only to find it already gone and packed up by Oin. She was at a loss as to what to do when Thorin came up to her.

"What is wrong?" He asked.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to help out." She told him, feeling anxious that he wasn't going to let her come after this mistake she made. "I tried, but everything was packed up before I had a chance."

"There's no need to apologize. I am aware of your willingness to help, but it won't be necessary for the next few days."

"How come?"

"You still need time to recover from your wounds, which is why I'm giving you a few days to do so while we continue to travel." He then pointed to the man with the funny looking hat. "You will be riding with Bofur today."

When it was time for the Company to depart, Silvia was riding in front of Bofur (who had helped her to mount the pony with ease, which surprised her because of his size) with hers legs hanging over one side of the pony due to her dress. At first she had been worried that he wouldn't be able to see over her and tried to lower her head as low as she could to help, which caused him to laugh at her attempt.

"I can see perfectly clear, lass. No need to think otherwise." Bofur told her, sounding amused. Silvia blushed slightly, feeling embarrassed for what she did. Bofur patted her arm to cheer her up. "Don't worry. Your heart was in the right place. That's all that matters."

That was when Silvia remembered what she observed this morning and looked over her shoulder at Bofur.

"Um, Bofur?" She asked.

"Yes?"

"I, uh, noticed how everyone seems to have different heights. Mostly everyone, including you, look to be around the same height, while Bilbo and Gandalf are complete opposites as far as their heights go. How come?"

At this Bofur laughed.

"I take it you've never seen a Dwarf before." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Dwarf?"

"Aye, lass. Everyone here, minus Bilbo, Gandalf, and yourself, are Dwarves; myself included. Bilbo, however, is a Hobbit."

"A Hobbit? What is that?" Silvia was curious.

"Hobbits are Shire-folk, commonly known as Halflings by other races. Ask Bilbo some time if you want to learn more."

Silvia glanced at Bilbo before looking at Gandalf.

"And Gandalf?" She asked.

"He's a Wizard."

This surprised Silvia.

"Does that mean he can do magic?"

"Of course! He wouldn't be a Wizard if he couldn't."

Silvia was fascinated by the fact that she was not only in the presence of a Wizard, but Dwarves and a Hobbit. It would explain why everyone's heights were different when she stood among them earlier. A yawn erupted from her mouth and on reflex she covered it up with a hand.

"Why don't you get some rest? You're still recovering so it won't do any harm to do so, lass." Bofur suggested.

"What if I fall off?" She asked.

"You won't. I'll make sure nothing happens to ya."

Silvia took Bofur's advice before shutting her eyes, the rhythm of the pony helping to lull her to sleep. At one point she could've sworn she heard singing.

Silvia was woken up by Bofur when everyone stopped to set up came, and as soon as her feet had touched the ground Oin was ushering her to a spot behind some trees no far from camp. When she had asked about this the Dwarf held his trumpet to his hear and smiled.

"You're a lady, lass." He had told her matter-of-factly. "You deserve your privacy seeing as you are surrounded by a bunch of men."

Silvia had understood what Oin meant after his explanation and was grateful that the healer was looking out for her as he checked her wounds, reapplying medicine and bandages to help speed up the recovery.

"Are there any Dwarf women?" She asked.

At first Oin hadn't heard her and had to place his trumpet to his ear before asking her to repeat her question, which she did.

"Aye, there are, but there are so few of them now. And they are so similar to Dwarf men."

"How _are _they similar?"

"They are similar in voice and at times mannerism. And like Dwarf men they have beards. It's because they are similar in appearance that many assume there _are _no Dwarf women and that we just spring out of holes in the ground!"*

Silvia had laughed at this, not having expected Dwarf women would appear the same as Dwarf men. She was beginning to find this world a fascinating place, even if she couldn't remember her past. When Oin had finished tending to her, he had led Silvia to a bedroll for her to rest, while the others got everything arranged for tonight. She watched everyone from where she sat, observing how the Dwarves seemed to work so well together, but Bilbo looked so out of place. Eventually the Hobbit had come over to keep her company and sat beside her.

"So how are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm doing fine." She answered. "Oin says that I'm recovering well enough."

"That's good. A lot of us were worried after having seen the state you were in when we found you yesterday."

It was then that Silvia remembered what Bofur had told her about Bilbo.

"So you're a Hobbit?" She asked, turning to Bilbo.

"Why, yes I am. Did Bofur tell you?"

"Yes. Could you tell me more about Hobbits?"

Bilbo looked surprised at her request, and she got the feeling that he wasn't used to being asked questions about his race.

"Well, for one thing we are a peaceful folk that prefer the comforts of home. We live in holes in the ground called Hobbit holes."

"If you live in holes, don't you worry about bugs or mud?"

At this Bilbo laughed.

"I can understand why you'd think that, but they're not that kind of holes. It's more like having a house built inside the hold instead of what you're imagining. The only time we worry about bugs or mud is if it's trailed into our homes."

"And The Shire? What's it like?"

"It's a beautiful place with rolling green hills and lots of plants." Bilbo smiled, almost looking reminiscent. "Despite how large the place was, everyone knew everyone. We don't get a lot of visitors from outside the Shire, and those that do come are considered outsiders."

"It sounds beautiful. I wish I could see it." Silvia said.

"Maybe someday you can, when this quest is over that is. If you do, be sure to drop by and visit Bag End."

The rest of the day passed by quickly and Silvia soon found herself laying in the bedroll with a stomach full of food that night. When morning came, everyone packed up their things to get ready for more traveling. This time Silvia was paired up with Balin, a kindly old Dwarf with an impressive white beard.

"Do you have any family?" Silvia had found herself asking as they traveled.

"Of course I do, lass. In fact, my brother happens to be part of our group." Balin told her.

"Which one is he?"

"That one right there." Balin pointed to the Dwarf with the bald head and dark (and almost greying) beard. "That's Dwalin, my brother."

"He scares me…" Silvia shrank a bit as if proving a point.

Balin laughed jovially at this.

"He tends to give off that impression whenever anyone meets him for the first time. He may seem intimidating, but on the inside he can be a big softy. Don't let him fool you."

"I'll try. I noticed how both your names sound similar."

"You do?" He chuckled. "You're quite the observant child. For Dwarves you can usually tell who is a brother of whom by their name."

"Why do you call me a child when I know I'm 18?" Silvia asked, feeling confused.

"Because you are, by Dwarf standards that is. You'd be nothing more than a wee babe having already learned to toddle."

"How old do Dwarves usually life for?"

"About 250, give or take a 100 years or so."

"Whoa, that's old!"

"Oh, lass! For you it might seem old, but the life span of Men is short in comparison. But because of your age you're now the youngest in this Company."

"Who was the youngest?"

"I'd assume Bilbo was, followed by Kili and then Fili."

Silvia then yawned.

"I think I'll rest for a bit, Balin." She said.

"You should get as much rest as you can. I would encourage you to do so while you can."

And Silvia did just that, and time passed by faster (at least to her). It seemed like she had only been asleep for a few minutes before being shaken awake by Balin and then being led off by Oin in order to tend to her wounds. Her second day with the Company went by quickly and as she watched the others talk amongst themselves around the fire from where she sat on the bedroll, Silvia couldn't help feeling somewhat alone. She wondered if she'd ever be able to join the others around the fire at night, to mingle with everyone and laugh at a joke she probably wouldn't understand but laugh anyways because everyone else was.

'_Maybe I'll be able to._' She thought, laying down and closing her eyes. '_When I've recovered enough._'

* * *

ATE: With that we conclude chapter 2. This chapter (along with chapters 3-5 soon) was set up so Silvia could start learning about the world she's now in along with the people she'll be traveling with now. So she ended up talking with Bofur, Bilbo, and Balin and learning a bit from them in this chapter.

Also, the fact that Silvia has trouble remembering everyone's names (which will become the case with the Dwarves) is understandable, and the reason why it'll be this way with the Dwarves is because, for the longest time, even I used to have trouble matching all the Dwarves names with their faces (the ones I had have trouble remembering the most were Oin, Nori, and Dori), but now I've been able to do better with that.

*The part with Oin telling Silvia about Dwarf women was meant to mirror the conversation Gimli had with Eowyn in The Two Towers. Seeing as Oin is Gimil's uncle, I thought this would make sense for him to share this knowledge with Silvia.

Even though I have chapters 3-5 ready, I'm still gonna wait for a review before I upload the next chapter. To me, that just makes more sense, plus gives me more time to write more up and keep ahead of the story. And knowing how I tend to add ideas at the last minute whenever I write up any chapters than what my initial plans are, this works out in my favor a bit.

Anyways, please remember to review and tell me what you think, even if it's to point out typos or mistakes. ;D


	4. Learning and Willing

ATE: Lookie what I got here for you all! Another chapter! First of all I want to thank **user2014** and **Gekkou no Netsu** for their reviews for the previous chapter.

Recently when I was watching Snow White: A Tale of Terror (which is one of the many versions of the story that I've found myself preferring over most; it's really good and I recommend you check it out when you get the chance) I noticed how the character Lilliana Hoffman (who is basically Snow White in the movie, played by a young Monica Keena) looked exactly like the image of Silvia I created. At first I thought I was seeing things and pulled up the image of Silvia I created and compared the faces of my OC with that of the character from the movie and was quite shocked at the resemblance. So now if you want a better idea of what Silvia looks like, go watch Snow White: A Tale of Terror and you'll see exactly what I mean.

Originally I had this chapter already prepared, but when I was on deviantart I got an idea that I just had to add to this chapter that's originally from the book (with a slight difference to how it happens) so I ended up having to alter some details that happened when I had written up before deciding to use this idea.

Declaimer: I down on The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings in any way, shape, or form. I only own my OC.

* * *

~*~Chapter 3~*~

Silvia found herself being paired with Dwalin the next day while traveling. Despite what Balin told her yesterday, she was still intimidated by the gruff looking Dwarf despite his size. She was too scared to say anything or try to start a conversation, which made her feel somewhat awkward.

"My brother told me you were quite talkative yesterday." Dwalin suddenly said. "And yet here you are, quiet as a mouse."

"Y-yeah." She replied reluctantly.

Dwalin was quiet and Silvia assumed that he was done talking.

"Would you like to hear a story?" He then asked.

Silvia looked over her shoulder at Dwalin, surprised that he would ask her that. She didn't know what to make of the situation (after all, it was the one Dwarf in the group that intimidated her the most that was asking her), but she got the feeling that the Dwarf was just as awkward as she felt and was trying to ease the tension between them.

"What kind of story?" She finally asked, feeling curious.

"Any kind." Was his answer.

"And what is 'any kind' about?"

It seemed everyone had been listening in on their conversation (it was hard not to when they were traveling so close together) since Silvia heard laughter erupt from the group. She even heard Thorin chuckle a bit from in front of them.

"I think it would be best if she knew where we were going and why." Gandalf suggested after the laughter died down. "What do you think, Thorin?"

Silvia watched Thorin turn around slightly on his pony to regard her with his piercing blue eyes. She felt nervous as he did this, knowing that he was thinking over his decision carefully. He then turned back around to face the road in front of them.

"Tell her, Dwalin." Thorin said, giving him permission to tell the tale she would soon hear.

And it was with Thorin's permission that Dwalin started telling Silvia about Erebor and how the great Dwarf kingdom had been sacked by a dragon called Smaug. She hung on every word of the story as the other Dwarves would add their own input of certain aspects of the tale. As she heard more of the story Silvia couldn't help feeling sympathy for the Dwarves for being practically exiled from their home and forced to live somewhere else.

"And that is why we are on this quest. To reclaim our home." Dwalin concluded.

"That's horrible. You all lost your home, but now you want to take it back." Silvia commented, feeling sorry for the Dwarves she was with. "How long has it been since that happened?"

"Too long." Thorin suddenly answered.

Silvia looked over at Thorin's back, noticing for the first time how regal he seemed to appear after having heard about Erebor.

He truly was a king of a lost kingdom.

* * *

Silvia was grateful to finally get off the pony when the Company stopped to make camp. She was even more grateful when Oin approved that she was well enough to help out around camp. When Thorin heard this he started Silvia off with something simple, which was helping Bofur and Bombur with preparing supper that night. While Bombur had gone to fetch water for soup from a nearby stream, she had gone with Bofur and Bilbo to gather some herbs and mushrooms, learning from the Dwarf and Hobbit what was good and edible and what was bad and poisonous. She also learned the names of some of the things they gathered, which she did her best to remember for future reference. To help with this Bofur and Bilbo had her identify the different herbs they found on the way back to camp, and as soon as they got back the Dwarf had her sort the herbs and mushrooms they found for the soup (Bombur had been quite pleased by the amount they found).

Silvia had been so focused on sorting the herbs that at one point she hadn't heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. She jumped in fright when a hand had landed on her shoulder and she quickly turned around to see who it was. Her frighten blue eyes met amused dark brown ones and she realized it was one of the Dwarves, the one that didn't have much of a beard (it was more like stubble, actually) and wielded a bow. Silvia had forgotten his name, which made her feel horrible, but then again there were 13 Dwarves and most of the names sounded similar.

"Sorry if I frightened you, Lady Silvia." He apologized, looking somewhat sheepish. "I thought you might be able to use these for the soup tonight."

Before Silvia could ask the Dwarf had held out two dead rabbits to her, their feet having been tied together by rope for easy carrying. She hadn't been expecting this and carefully took the rabbits from his outstretched hand.

"Thanks." She said.

The Dwarf merely smiled at her before walking off. Silvia turned back to look at the rabbits, noticing the holes in their bodies. She realized that the Dwarf had probably hunted for these when she had gone out with Bofur and Bilbo to gather herbs and mushrooms. Speaking about Bofur, she could see him making his way over to her with a huge grin on his face.

"I see that one of the lads has tried to impress you, Miss Silvia." Bofur told her.

"Impress me?" Silvia asked, feeling confused. "He only gave me these rabbits to use for the soup we're making."

Bofur gave her a knowing smile before sitting down next to her, taking one of the rabbits after untying the rope around their feet.

"Let me show you how to skin a rabbit."

Silvia did indeed learn how to skin a rabbit and helped cut the meat into small pieces to put in the soup. At first the thought of cutting an animal open made her a little nauseous (along with seeing the guts as well), but once she got past that she found that she was fine. Bofur even gave her some tips during the process which she was thankful for since it made the task less difficult.

Suddenly the sound of one of the ponies neighing caught everyone's attention and Silvia turned to where they were next to the stream nearby. She saw the beardless Dwarf that had given her the rabbits trying to calm the panicking pony, but before they knew it he had been dragged into the water with the animal.

"Kili!" Thorin yelled before rushing to the stream, followed by a blonde haired Dwarf.

All hell broke loose and everyone dropped whatever they were doing as they all ran over to the stream. Silvia's face paled when she saw the drowning Dwarf struggling to stay above the water in the rushing current, all the while trying to save the pony that had fallen into the stream with him.

"Let go, Kili!" The blonde Dwarf cried out.

"The current is too strong, lad!" Thorin yelled. "We're losing him!"

The blonde Dwarf grabbed some rope, which he hastily tied around a nearby tree before tying the other end around his waist.

"Kili! I'm coming!"

"Fili! Don't!"

Before Thorin could stop him, the blonde Dwarf (Fili) jumped into the stream, struggling in the strong current as he tried to swim over to the drowning Dwarf (Kili).

"Take my hand!" Fili yelled, holding out his hand to reach for Kili.

"Fee!" Kili cried out.

Kili struggled to reach for Fili's hand, but suddenly he was pulled under the water by the current.

"Kili!"

Everyone started panicking when this happened. One of the Dwarves grabbed some rope and rushed over to Thorin, who proceeded to do the same thing Fili did by tying one end of the rope to the same tree the blonde Dwarf used and tied the other end around his waist before jumping into the stream to save the two Dwarves. Everything passed by in a blur that before she knew it the three Dwarves were already back on land soaking wet. Thorin and Fili were fine, but Kili was laying on the grassy ground unconscious. Silvia suddenly felt worried and feared the worst, but her thoughts were interrupted by a hand gently grabbing her arm, causing her to turn around and see Balin giving her a small yet reassuring smile.

"Come along, lass." He told her softly. "You needn't worry for them now that they're safe."

Silvia merely nodded before allowing the old Dwarf to pull her away from the scene. Looking off to the side she noticed Oin pulling out blankets from one of their packs and an idea suddenly popped into her head.

"Balin, wait!" She suddenly said.

Upon hearing her Balin stopped moving and turned to her.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Those blankets Oin has, he's going to use those to get them warm?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Oh course. Why do you ask?"

"I have an idea." She glanced at the fire where Bombur had resume cooking and smiled. "A good idea."

Balin noticed her glancing at the fire and raised a bushy eyebrow.

"What are you up to, Lady Silvia?"

"I need to borrow three blankets besides the ones Oin has now. I'll also need help holding them close to the fire."

She watched as the old Dwarf's eyes widened in surprise before letting out a laugh.

"That's genius! I'll get you those blankets while you find someone to help you."

While Balin went off to retrieve the blankets she requested Silvia managed to convince Bofur and Gloin to help her out. When the time came for them to warm up the blankets the three held them close enough to the flames for the material to absorb the heat but not catch fire at the same time. Glancing around at everyone she noticed that the Dwarves were worried but refused to show it.

"It's all right guys, Kili's fine!" Bilbo's voice suddenly shouted.

Silvia's head shot in the direction Thorin and the two young Dwarves were and saw that Kili was conscious as the blonde Dwarf held him in his arms, supporting his upper half. Bilbo ran off and over to Oin, but Silvia was more focused on the three. She heard Thorin yelling at Fili and Kili but couldn't tell what he was saying. Judging by the two Dwarves' reactions she assumed that he was scolding them. Suddenly Thorin grabbed a hold of Fili before pulling both he and Kili into his arms, holding them close. Silvia couldn't help the soft smile that formed on her lips as she observed the tender moment between the three Dwarves. She knew Thorin had been worried about them after what happened and it was at that time she noticed how he treated Fili and Kili like they were his own sons. And with how desperate Fili was to save Kili when he was drowning, she came to the conclusion that they must've been brothers (if what Balin told her was true when it came to Dwarf names).

Silvia turned away from the scene, feeling as if she was intruding on something sacred. She was glad they were safe, but she knew they had lost the pony to the stream.

Eventually the three Dwarves made their way back to their group around the fire and Fili (who had been carrying Kili) carefully placed his brother on the ground before sitting down beside him. Oin soon came over to help Thorin, Fili, and Kili out of their clothes until they were left wearing their shirts and pants before wrapping them up in the blankets he'd unpacked from earlier.

Silvia felt sorry for them at seeing the state they were in, shivering violently as they held the blankets tightly around them to keep warm. Looking over at Thorin she knew he was cold even if he was refusing to show it. She was glad she had the forethought to warm up some blankets when she did, but it was going to take a while before they were ready.

Sometime later Silvia deemed the blankets warm enough to use and decided to take the first one to Thorin. When Bofur and Gloin tried to follow her example she stopped them by saying that they needed to keep the blankets warm while she distributed them one at a time. She then approached Thorin, who glanced up at her when she stood in front of him.

"I already have a blanket, Lady Silvia." He stated.

"I know, but I wanted to give you a warmer one." She replied.

Silvia resisted the urge to laugh when she saw the confused look on Thorin's face. Leaning forward, she took away the now damp blanket he'd been using before replacing it with the one she heated up, making sure it was wrapped behind him before pulling away. She watched as Thorin pulled the blanket closer around him, letting out a sigh of content as he found comfort in the warm blanket.

"Thank you." He said, looking up at her.

She smiled.

"You're welcome, Thorin." She replied before walking off.

Silvia went back to where Bofur and Gloin were waiting while continuing to hold the blankets up. She traded the damp blanket she retrieved from Thorin with Bofur before going over to where Fili and Kili were sitting. She was about to reach over to take the blonde Dwarf's blanket from him, but he stopped her.

"Take care of my brother first." He told her.

"But what about you?" She asked.

"I can wait. He needs it more than I do."

Seeing the pleading look Fili gave her Silvia glanced over at Kili, noticing that his gaze was on the ground and that he seemed to be deep in thought. Her decision was made.

He didn't seem to notice her when she went to stand before him, and she figured that he was still shaken up from almost drowning. Not wanting to disturb him too much, she reached around him to pull his blanket off. It was as she started wrapping the warm blanket around his shivering form that Kili's head suddenly shot up to face her, looking startled as he just became aware of her standing in front of him. His expression changed when he realized what was going on and gazed at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. She gave him a smile, knowing that he was grateful as he held the blanket tighter around his body and shivered, this time from the sudden change of temperature.

Silvia retrieved the last blanket from Gloin, heading back over to Fili, and replacing his blanket with the warmer one. She was about to walk away when he suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Thank you for taking care of Kili." He said, giving her a grateful smile.

"You're welcome." She replied before leaving.

Soon enough the soup was finished and Silvia helped Bofur pass out bowls to everyone. She had started with a Dwarf that had been writing in a book, along with the two Dwarves sitting him with (one of them having hair that reminded her of a starfish, which the other one had a short white beard).

After Silvia had passed out soup to them, she grabbed two bowls before heading over to Fili and Kili who had remained in the same spot since they'd been brought over to sit by the fire. They both glanced at her when she approached them.

"I brought you soup." She told them, carefully handing the bowls of hot soup to each brother. "It should make you feel better."

This earned her the same smile that she got from Kili when he'd given her the rabbits, but from both of them. Silvia blushed at this, glad that the light of the fire hid the color of her face. Looking at them she noticed that Fili's and Kili's appearance had improved after she'd given them the heated blankets and not shivering as they had earlier.

"How are you two feeling?" She asked, the concern showing in her voice.

"Much better, Lady Silvia." Fili replied.

Fili noticed that his brother wasn't saying anything and swiftly hit him with his knee.

"Ah-! Yeah, thanks." Kili added when he recovered.

"The blankets you warmed up were a brilliant idea. Not many would think to do that."

"It wasn't just me." She told them. "I had help from Bofur and Gloin."

"But all the same, thank you."

After taking care of Fili and Kili she went to passed out soup to Oin, Balin, and Dwalin before finally taking a bowl to Thorin, who still had the blanket she'd given him placed around his shoulders.

"Thank you." He said curtly.

Silvia watched him briefly, wondering if she should ask the question that had been going through her mind while she had been passing out supper with Bofur.

"Thorin?" She decided to ask. The Dwarf looked up at her, his eyes letting her know to continue. "Am I…doing okay here? With the Company, I mean."

Thorin regarded her thoughtfully, and she shifted nervously on her feet. After a while he placed his bowl down before putting a hand on her shoulder.

"You are doing fine." He told her reassuringly. "I've seen Bofur teach you how to do certain tasks as far as cooking goes. There is also how you thought to warming up some blankets before handing them out to myself, including Fili and Kili. You are learning and willing. Don't forget that."

Silvia smiled.

"Thank you. I hope you feel better."

Silvia went back to the fire to get herself some soup to eat, but then came the decision of where to sit. Looking around for a bit she noticed Gandalf sitting off to the side eating his own bowl of soup and decided to sit with the Wizard. Seeing her approach he smiled at her.

"Ah, Lady Silvia! Come sit beside me." Gandalf greeted cheerfully. Silvia sat beside him and smiled. "Perhaps you can humor an old man and tell me how you are faring so far."

"I'm doing fine, Gandalf." Silvia told him, turning to look over at the Dwarves and Hobbit. "I'm doing fine."

It was quiet as Silvia ate her soup, all the while watching the others talking and laughing.

"They've taken quite a liking to you."

"Who?" Silvia turned to Gandalf.

"Everyone, actually. You seem to have a bit of a charm that tends to draw others to you. You also managed to help out the leader of our Company along with the two youngest Dwarves in our group with your quick thinking today. Do note that this is merely what I've observed so far."

"What else have you observed?"

"That despite having amnesia you are willing to learn and lend a helping hand, along with being quite curious for your age."

"Is that a bad thing? My curiosity?"

"As a matter of fact, no. It just means that you have an open mind to the world around you. I believe it is because of that open-mindedness that has allowed the Dwarves to accept you with open arms, even if it seems like a few of them aren't the type to do so at all. It's exceptionally rare, given the stubbornness of Dwarves. But then again, there might also be the fact that you're a woman since Dwarves tend to be protective of their women."

"Because there are so few of them."

"Precisely!" Gandalf gave Silvia a gentle nudge in the direction of the others. "Now go join the others, my dear. Surely they'll benefit more from your company than an old man such as myself.

Silvia turned to look at Gandalf and smiled when he gave her a wink. That was all the encouragement she needed before grabbing her bowl and joining the others. Just as Gandalf said they welcome her with open arms (some literally in the case of Bofur), and for the first time since she'd met them she finally felt like part of the Company of Thorin Oakenshield.

* * *

ATE: I find that I like writing Gandalf for some reason and I think I did a decent job. I mean, who doesn't like our favorite Grey Wizard? I'll admit that I was a little afraid of writing his character and dialogue since I felt like I wasn't going to be able to do him justice at all. Hopefully the readers can decide if I did a good job or not. I'm also wondering that as well for the other characters as well to, now that I think about that.

Now I believe that a lot of you are wondering about the part where Kili (and Fili to some extent) almost drowned (which happened in the book and not in the movie), but with a few tweaks to fit it into the story since it actually took place after the Company had been traveling in the rain. Originally I wasn't going to have this in the story (I almost forgot about it) but while I was on deviantart I came across something called the 'Hobbit Comic part 01' created by Brilcrist. I was very impressed with how they created the comic showing their version of what happened during this part in the book and it is drawn extremely well and the dialogue I used for this part was taken from the comic as well. I recommend checking it out (there are 3 parts total).

So what did you all think? Did I do okay with how I handled the characters?

Please remember to review and tell me what you all think! ;D


	5. Dangers of an Unknown World

ATE: Hey everyone! Happy 4th of July! You know what would make this day even better than any 4th of July in the history of the world? GANDALF'S FIREWORKS! I mean, who wouldn't agree with that?

Anyways, big thanks go to **Gekkou no Netsu**, **Boston Rider**, and **Lelleg** for their reviews on the previous chapter. I'm very grateful for your reviews and I'm trying to at least update this story once a week, but I'm contemplating updating this Sunday. Remember this is a HUGE maybe on my part, so I can't guarantee that I'll do this.

Declaimer: I think we all know that I don't own The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings in any way, shape, or form. I only own my OCs.

* * *

~*~Chapter 4~*~

When she woke up the next morning, Silvia was eager to help out around the camp, much to the amusement of the Dwarves. Once breakfast was eaten and everything packed, she was approached by Fili, who then proceeded to give her a bow.

"Miss Silvia. It would be quite an honor if a lady such as yourself would accompany me today on our travels." He requested with a smile.

Silvia felt herself blush as she giggled.

"Then I accept your generous offer." She replied with a smile.

The blonde Dwarf gently took her hand before leading her over to the pony he rode. Just like with the Dwarves she had ridden with so far, he'd been easily able to assist her on getting atop the pony before getting on behind her.

"How's Kili doing?" Silvia asked while they traveled. "He's feeling better now after what happened yesterday, right?"

"He's doing remarkable well thanks to your help." He replied.

"I've noticed that unlike the other Dwarves he doesn't have much of a beard. Why is that?"

"We don't know why that is, to be honest. Even as Dwarflings he hadn't had a beard and we all assumed he would have one before reaching maturity, which is at age 40. When that time came, all he had was stubble. We Dwarves take great pride in our beards, so the fact he doesn't have one has put quite a damper on him."

"How so?"

Silvia turned around to face Fili, only to see him give her a sad smile.

"It is not my place to say, Lady Silvia."

"Oh." She turned back around to look ahead. She decided it was probably time to change the subject. "What can you tell me about Dwarves?"

"What would you like to know?"

"Anything. Where you live, what you do for a living."

Fili chuckled.

"By Mahal! You certainly ask questions covering a large range. You're quite curious for being of the race of Men."

"So I've been told."

"Let's start with your first broad question. Dwarves live in a good number of places in this world. The most notable would be the Blue Mountains in Ered Luin and the Iron Hills. As for your second question, we have a wide range when it comes to professions. Some are merchants and toymakers, but we are well known for being miners and crafters."

"What kind of crafts?" She asked.

"Many kinds. From making weapons and armor to making jewelry. We are quite good with our hands when it comes to working with a forge and fire."

"Don't you worry about getting burned?"

"Not at all! That is where we're different from other races. Dwarves are used to temperatures that other races would consider too hot or too cold, which makes crafting hot metal an easy task."

"So that would explain how you're good with your hands."

"There are more things I'm good at when it comes to using my hands." Fili told her, having leaned forward to whisper into her ear.

Silvia blushed at this, but she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the fact that she could feel his warmth through the back of her dress. Maybe it was the warmth of Fili's breath on her skin that caused bumps to rise. Whatever the reason was, she didn't know and left her feeling weird.

That night they had camped out near a cliff. While she was passing out supper Silvia had felt a hand gently grab her arm, causing her to turn around and find Fili fixing her with his blue gaze.

"You can use my bedroll tonight, Lady Silvia." He offered.

"But what about you?" She asked. "Won't you get cold?"

At this Fili smiled.

"I'll be fine. Remember what I told you about Dwarves?"

Silvia thought back to her discussion with File while they had been traveling today and realized what he meant before smiling.

"Thank you." She told him.

"It's my pleasure. If it makes you feel better think of it as my way of thanking you for yesterday."

It turned out that both Fili and Kili had first watch that night and that the bedroll the blonde Dwarf let her use was set up close to the two brothers and near the warmth of the fire. At first she was able to sleep soundly despite the loud snoring of the Dwarves (she found it comforting actually, knowing they were there and she wasn't alone), curled up underneath the blanket that kept her warm that night. She could smell the tobacco coming from the pipes the brothers were smoking from, and strangely enough calmed her down. The Dwarves (along with Bilbo and Gandalf) had a habit of smoking while they were either traveling or camping, so as long as she smelled the scent of tobacco she knew she wasn't alone.

Suddenly a terrifying screeching sound that night woke her up with a start, causing her to look around frantically with eyes wide. She had never heard such a sound before (from what she could remember, at least) and she got the feeling that it wasn't anything good.

"What was that?" Bilbo asked, looking disturbed.

"Orcs." Kili answered quietly.

Silvia looked at Fili and Kili, noticing the grim looks on their faces. Bilbo ran over to where to where they were.

"Orcs?"

"Throat-cutters." Fili stated, holding the pipe he'd been smoking. "There'll be dozens of them out there. The Lone-Lands are crawling with them."

"They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep." Kili's expression became dark. "Quick and quiet-no screams. Just lots of blood." The last part he whispered ominously.

Silvia was terrified that such things existed out there and judging by Bilbo's face he felt the same way. From what she had seen while traveling with the Company so far, there hadn't been anything dangerous or life threatening. Had she been wrong? Had she not been safe as she'd been led to believe? She clutch the blanket she'd been using close to her chest in fear.

The two brothers looked at each other…and started chuckling. And it dawned on her as she realized why.

They had been joking. And what a cruel joke it was that left her staring at them in disbelief. Why would they joke about something as dangerous as the Orcs she had just learned about?

"You think that's funny?" Silvia, along with Bilbo, Fili, and Kili looked in the direction of the voice to find Thorin leveling the two Dwarves with his piercing gaze. "You think a night raid by Orcs is a joke?"

"We didn't mean anything by it." Kili answered, sounding downhearted.

Silvia looked at the brothers, noticing the disappointed and guilty looks on their faces. Almost ashamed. Why was it they felt that way when it came to Thorin?

"No, you didn't." Thorin started making his way towards the cliff, passing by Bilbo as he did. "You know nothing of the world."

'_What does Thorin mean?_' She thought, feeling confused.

"Don't mind him, laddie." Balin said, coming over to where they were. He leaned against the wall of the rock face and gazed down at them with a sympathetic look. "Thorin has more cause than most to hate Orcs."

"Why is that?" Silvia asked.

Balin smiled down at her sadly. And Silvia noticed just how old the Dwarf looked in that moment, older than what she was used to seeing.

"After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient Dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first. Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs, led by the most vile of all their race: Azog the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin."

Silvia gulped loudly, suddenly feeling dreadful.

"He began…by beheading the king. Thrain, Thorin's father was driven mad by grief. He went missing. Taken prisoner or killed…we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us. That is when I saw him. A young Dwarf prince facing down the pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe. His armor rent, wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. Azog the Defiler learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Our forces rallied and drove the Orcs back. And our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast nor song that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived. And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call king."

Silvia felt sorrow for Thorin's loss, but above all else she felt respect and admiration for the Dwarf leader.

"And the pale Orc? What happened to him?" Bilbo asked.

"He slunk back into the hole whence he came." Thorin answered, walking by. "That filth died of his wounds long ago."

Silvia felt some relief from that, but she was unable to go back to sleep due to fear. She spotted Gandalf nearby smoking his pipe and decided she could probably talk to him. Despite being a Wizard, his appearance and demeanor made her view him as a sort of father figure, if not grandfatherly (like Balin). With that she made her way over to him.

"What seems to be troubling you, my dear?" Gandalf asked quietly, looking up at her.

"The idea of Orcs." Silvia replied, sitting down next to him.

"Really now?" Gandalf took a drag of his pipe and Silvia watched as he puffed out a smoke ring, which impressed her. "Was it because of Balin's tale, or perhaps the impression you received from Fili and Kili?"

Silvia thought about it. Which one had scared her the most? She wanted to say it was the impression the two brothers gave her, but then hearing Balin's account of what happened to Thorin made her reconsider. In the end she didn't know which one to pick, and Gandalf must've noticed how conflicted she was.

"You'll have to forgive those two for initially scaring you." He begin. "Fili and Kili are young and haven't experienced the world in its entirety as of yet. Originally Thorin didn't want them being on this quest, but here they are among us."

"They looked ashamed of themselves when Thorin scolded them." Silvia commented.

"That would be because they are his nephews, making them heirs to the line of Durin."

Silvia looked at Gandalf surprised.

"He's their uncle?"

"I thought that much was clear. They are aware of the responsibilities placed on them for being Thorin's heirs and are trying to live up to his expectations. They are also aware of having disappointed him with their little story."

Now that Silvia thought about it, it made sense why Thorin scolded them and they looked ashamed. She felt a hand being placed on her shoulder and looked up to see Gandalf looking at her.

"There are many things in this world that can frighten even the bravest of warriors. They can range from being as mundane as a fear of water and drowning to the destructive power of a dragon. Even if you are frightened by what's out there, you have no need to be afraid, Miss Silvia. You are surrounded by 13 Dwarves, armed and skilled enough to keep you safe from whatever ill-will that decides to wish you harm. You couldn't ask for better protection."

"Thank you, Gandalf." Silvia said, grateful that the Wizard was able to reassure her.

"I can hope it's enough to put your mind at ease. It'd be in your best interest to get some sleep, since I get the feeling that tomorrow will be a big day for you."

Silvia took Gandalf's advice and went back over to the fire where the bedroll she was using was located. It was as she approached that Fili and Kili glanced up at her before reluctantly averting their eyes. She felt pity for the two brothers but was unsure if she should say anything about it or not. In the end she thought it best to wait and let them apologize whenever they were ready.

'_It'll give them time to think._' She told herself.

Silvia allowed herself to fall asleep, knowing that even if she was scared she was safe.

* * *

ATE: So yeah. What can I say here? Oh! Well, for this chapter I had to do some research as far as the information Silvia learned when it came to Dwarves. Hopefully it paid off here. I felt that what happened in this chapter has made Silvia aware of the dangers of Middle Earth that she was oblivious to until now. I like how I write Gandalf and in a way Silvia sees him as a sort of grandfather/fatherly figure. Gandalf would be one awesome grandpa if you ask me.

Ironically enough the part where he talks about the frightening things in our world (the part where he says "they can range from being as mundane as a fear of water and drowning to the destructive power of a dragon") I wasn't aware of what I wrote until I wrote the part where Fili and Kili almost drowned in the previous chapter. It wasn't until I looked this chapter over and was modifying it that I realized I wrote "mundane as a fear of water and drowning" and just laughed at the fact that that's what happened to them. What's funny is that it was completely unintentional on my part.

What did you all think so far? Please remember to review! ;D


	6. Of Rain and Songs

ATE: Hey everyone! I have another update for you all, and I know you'll like it. Big thanks go out to **watergoddesskasey **and **Royali-Fae-Rebelle **for their reviews from the previous chapter anyone else still reading. This is the last part that was split from the original Chapter 2 and I thank everyone for being patient with me and waiting for this part to come (I'm looking at you **Boston Rider** lol).

Declaimer: I don't own anything related to The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings in any way, shape, or form. I also don't own the song in this chapter at all. I only own my OCs.

* * *

~*~Chapter 5~*~

Silvia was shaken awake the next morning and had opened her eyes to look at whoever woke her up, only to stare at the axe embedded into the forehead of the Dwarf that stood before her. She wasn't sure what to feel at that moment; was she supposed to feel scared, sad, or disturbed? Or maybe all of them at once. The Dwarf started saying something to her in a rough language that she couldn't understand. But judging by the tone he was probably starting to get a little impatient with her.

"I-I'm sorry for staring!" She apologized, quickly getting up and rolling up the bedroll she had used.

Silvia heard a chorus of laughter coming from the others and spotted Bofur who was grinning at her.

"I hope Bifur didn't scare you, lass!" He told her cheerfully.

"No, he just…surprised me, that's all."

Silvia then noticed how some of the Dwarves were packing up while breakfast was being made and spotted Fili by his pony before heading over to him. The blonde Dwarf must've noticed her coming since he turned to face her.

"Good morning, Lady Silvia." Fili greeted her with a smile. "I…hope you slept well last night."

"I did." She replied. "I brought your bedroll."

"Thank you." Fili took the bedroll from her and strapped it to the pony. He turned back to face her and she noticed how uneasy he looked. "Listen, my brother and I are sorry for last night."

"It's okay, Fili. I'm fine now."

"But it's not, lass." He shook his head. "It was wrong of us to do what we did, and it's only fair that we apologize for our actions."

"I accept your apology. You didn't mean to."

Fili suddenly took ahold of her hand.

"You have a kind heart, milady." He then placed a kiss on her hand. Silvia blushed at this, having been taken by surprise by the blonde Dwarf's actions. "My brother would like to apologize to you as well."

"If that's the case then why isn't he here?" Silvia asked.

"Because he's still trying to figure out how to go about it. Which is why I suggest you ride with him today if he offers."

Silvia stared at Fili, confused by what he said.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Fili laughed.

"I'm his brother. I promised to take care of him and we have to look out for each other."

Fili walked off after saying that and went over to where Kili sat eating breakfast, talking and laughing with him. While eating breakfast with the others Silvia got to talk a bit with Ori (the shy Dwarf that she had seen writing in the book he kept close when she was passing out food the other night) and his brothers Nori (the one with the starfish hair) and Dori (whose white beard reminded her of Oin's but shorter). She also talked to Gloin who'd shown her the drawings of his wife and son whose name was Gimli, and just by looking at him Silvia could tell that Gloin was proud to be a father. She felt somewhat sad knowing that he was probably one of the few Dwarves that married a female of their race.

As she was helping to pack up the remaining possessions, Silvia felt a hand being placed on her shoulder before turning around to find the owner standing behind her.

"At least this time you didn't startle so easily." He said, his dark brown eyes sparkling in amusement.

She smiled at this, having been reminded of how she first met Kili when he'd given her those two rabbits.

"Good morning, Kili." She greeted.

"Aye, a good morning to you as well, Lady Silvia." He gave her a smile, which she noticed was so similar to Fili's. "So, I was wondering…"

Kili trailed off a bit, seeming distracted by his thoughts of what his next words would be. As his gaze dropped to the ground, Silvia looked over his shoulder and spotted Fili watching them from where he stood beside his pony. When her eyes met his the blonde Dwarf simply nodded encouragingly. Silvia turned back to face Kili again and waited for him to continue what he was saying. He then sighed.

"Let me try again." He told her before his eyes returned to settle on her face. "I was wondering if you'd like to ride with me today."

Silvia smiled, knowing that Fili had warned her about this.

"I would love to." She replied.

"Oh, good!" He sighed in relief. "For a second I thought you would've said no."

"Why would I do that?" Silvia frowned.

"Because-" He stopped himself before giving her a smile. "Never mind."

Before Silvia could ask Kili walked off, leaving her confused. What had he been about to say?

When it came time to leave Silvia had made her way over to Kili, receiving a charming smile from him when she approached. Without saying a word the dark haired Dwarf effortlessly lifted her onto the pony before getting on behind her.

"I'm not heavy, am I?" She asked, lowering her gaze.

"Not at all. Despite our size Dwarves have more strength than other races." He answered.

Silvia was quiet as they traveled. Looking down she noticed how large Kili's hands were as he gripped the reins tightly. Now that she thought about it, the Dwarves all seemed to have large hands as well. Was it one of their traits as well?

"I…wanted to apologize about last night." Kili suddenly said.

Silvia turned her head around to gaze at him, seeing the worried look on his face. She gave him a warm smile hoping it would make him feel better.

"It's okay. I'm fine now." She turned to look ahead. "I'm not afraid anymore." She said the last part quietly.

"Why do you say that?" He asked after a while.

"Because I have you and Fili and everyone else here with me. And I know that you're all capable of keeping me safe."

She suddenly felt Kili lean forward slightly to bring his head next to hers. She blushed when she felt his warm breath lightly blowing on her skin, making goose bumps appear as she did her best to suppress a shiver. It was just how she reacted to Fili when he did the same thing.

"I was told of your kind heart, Lady Silvia." Kili whispered quietly in her ear. "If you seek protection you needn't ask. I and everyone here would do almost anything to keep you safe."

Silvia turned her head slightly to look at Kili, but she hadn't realized how close he'd been until she felt his stubble and lips lightly brush against her cheek. She quickly turned away, feeling her face getting warmer than it already was as her heart pounded in her chest.

Why was she reacting this way? And why was it mainly around Fili and Kili?

She held back a sigh of relief when Kili leaned away from her, which allowed her to calm down a bit. It gave her time for her face to return to normal as well.

"So what can you tell me about yourself, Lady Silvia?" Kili asked.

"Not much. All I know is my name, that I'm 18, and have some knowledge of how to cook if not what I've learned so far." She told him.

"Oh. I almost forgot you had amnesia."

"It's fine." She was okay with it now since she didn't feel like she was missing anything important (at least she hoped not). "So Thorin is yours and Fili's uncle?"

"Aye, he is. And we are his heirs."

"So that means you two are princes then?"

Kili chuckled at this.

"You wouldn't be wrong. But seeing as Fili is older than I am, he'd be first in line if anything happened to Thorin."

"How old is Fili?"

"He's 82."

"And you?"

"I'm 77."

"You two don't look that old."

"Dwarves age differently than what you're used to. You're quite young in comparison to everyone present."

Silvia wasn't sure how to respond so she just nodded her head. She suddenly felt something wet on her hand and before she knew it she and everyone else were completely drenched by rainwater. She heard some of the others complain and she shivered, feeling cold as her dress clung to her like a second skin. She now had a idea as to how Thorin, Fili, and Kili might've felt when they had been pulled out of the stream the other day.

Silvia froze when she felt a warm arm snake around her before pulling her into an equally warm chest. The same arm did its best to wrap a dark cloak around both of them before going back to being around her waist and keeping her in place at the same time. She could feel his warm breath on her skin as he leaned forward, strands of wet dark hair coming into view in her peripheral vision.

"I know it isn't much, but it'll keep you warm for the most part." Kili told her quietly.

"Thank you." She replied before shivering. "It's cold."

If it hadn't been possible before Kili tightened his hold around her, effectively trapping her between his arm and body.

"I know, lass. I know." He murmured thoughtfully.

Despite his clothes being damp from the rain, she unconsciously snuggled herself close to Kili. He was so warm and his body heat helped keep her warm in the freezing rain. Even though she was blushing she found herself comfortable.

"Here, Mr. Gandalf…can't you do something about this deluge?" She heard Dori yell over the rain.

"It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done." Came Gandalf's reply. "If you wish to change the weather of the world, find yourself another Wizard."

Silvia was surprised by this. She assumed that since Gandalf was a Wizard he'd be able to stop the rain. Maybe there were things even Wizards couldn't do.

"Are there any?" Bilbo asked.

"What?"

"Other Wizards."

"There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards…" Gandalf trailed off thinking for a bit. "Do you know, I've quite forgotten their names."

Silvia giggled, finding the fact of Gandalf forgetting something funny.

"And who is the fifth?"

"Well, that would be Radagast the Brown."

"Is he a great Wizard? Or is he…more like you?"

She watched as Gandalf looked behind him at Bilbo and she got the distinct feeling that the Hobbit had unintentionally offended the Grey Wizard.

"I think he's a very great Wizard, in his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the east. And a good thing too. For always evil will look to find a foothold in this world."

After an hour or so it eventually stopped raining much to everyone's relief. Even though there was no longer any need to do so, Kili continued to hold her close and keep her warm, which made her blush. She didn't mind though since she was still cold. She felt his chest vibrate as his voice hummed next to her ear, and she could hear the other Dwarves doing the same before she heard Thorin's deep voice start singing.

_Far over the misty mountains cold  
To dungeons deep, and caverns old  
We must away ere break of day  
To find our long-forgotten gold._

_The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,_  
_While hammers fell like ringing bells_  
_In places deep, where dark things sleep,_  
_In hollow halls beneath the fells._

_For ancient king and elvish lord,_  
_There many a gleaming golden hoard_  
_They shaped and wrought, and light they caught_  
_To hide in gems on hilt of sword._

_On silver necklaces they strung_  
_The flowering stars, on crowns they hung_  
_The dragon-fire, in twisted wire_  
_They meshed the light of moon and sun._

_Far over the misty mountains cold_  
_To dungeons deep and caverns old_  
_We must away, ere break of day,_  
_To find our long-forgotten gold._

_The pines were roaring on the height,_  
_The winds were moaning in the night._  
_The fire was red, it flaming spread;_  
_The trees like torches blazed with light._

_The bells were ringing in the dale_  
_And men looked up with faces pale;_  
_Then dragon's ire more fierce than fire_  
_Laid low their towers and houses frail._

_The mountain smoked beneath the moon;_  
_The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom._  
_They fled their hall to dying fall_  
_Beneath his feet, beneath the moon._

_Far over the misty mountains grim_  
_To dungeons deep and caverns dim_  
_We must away, ere break of day,_  
_To win our harps and gold from him!_

During the song the rest of the Dwarves had all joined in and sang as well. The song sounded sad and forlorn, filled with longing that left Silvia with a heavy heart, but at the same time she found their singing comforting. She also found Kili's deep voice soothing as he sang next to her ear the whole time. The Dwarves' singing must've had an effect on her since she started feeling drowsy while trying to stay awake. This kept on as they continued singing songs that would weave stories in her mind.

"Do you know any songs, Lady Silvia?" Kili's voice suddenly asked.

Silvia noticed that she had dozed off and it must've been for some time since the Dwarves were no longer singing. Instead she found everyone in the Company gazing at her expecting an answer. She went through her thoughts, trying to see if she could remember any songs she might've heard but forgotten. To her surprise she had been able to find one.

"I think I know one." She told them.

"Well, let's hear it!" Bofur exclaimed, the rest of the Dwarves voicing their thoughts in agreement.

Silvia blushed suddenly feeling nervous from the attention they were giving her, but did her best to ignore it before she started singing.

_Lay down your head and I'll sing you a lullaby  
__Back to the years of loo-li lai-lay  
__And I'll sing you to sleep and I'll sing you tomorrow  
__Bless you with love for the road that you go_

_May you sail far to the far fields of fortune  
__With diamonds and pearls at your head and your feet  
__And may you need never to banish misfortune  
__May you find kindness in all that you meet_

_May there always be angels to watch over you  
__To guide you each step of the way  
__To guard you and keep you safe from all harm  
__Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay_

_May you bring love and may you bring happiness  
__Be loved in return to the end of your days  
__Now fall off to sleep, I'm not meaning to keep you  
__I'll just sit for a while and sing loo-li, lai-lay_

_May there always be angels to watch over you  
__To guide you each step of the way  
__To guard you and keep you safe from all harm  
__Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay_

_Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay..._

Everyone was silent when she finished singing and it was then that she realized she'd been crying. The song apparently had an effect on her since she suddenly felt emotional all of a sudden. She felt sadness and longing for something she must've lost long ago, making her wish she could remember her past.

She froze when she suddenly felt warm fingers gently wipe the tears from her eyes. It was so tender that she felt herself choking on her tears.

"That was a beautiful song." A deep voice whispered. "You will always have angels watching over you."

More tears formed in Silvia's eyes as she tried to hold them back, but her efforts were futile. They fell as she silently cried and her tears blurred her vision. The voice continued whispering into her ear, murmuring words she was unable to comprehend at that time but despite this she found the tone soothing. Eventually Silvia found herself tired and emotionally drained, but she felt safe and warm. The swaying motion she felt was enough to make her fall asleep in the end.

* * *

ATE: Okay, I know what you're thinking: boy this chapter is quite heavy on the dialogue. The reason why is because my long absence from not writing since last year had really made me suffer I guess and I'm just getting back into writing now.

Okay, now for the songs here:

(1) For the song Far Over The Misty Mountains Cold: I didn't exactly use the full version from the book, but instead used a cover version Renzer Schwarz did over on youtube (which I recommend checking out since he really did a good job with it). I also felt that it was a reasonable length compared to the original version and still retains the words we all know and love about the song.

(2) The song Silvia sings in this chapter is called Sleepsong by Secret Garden, which I find to be a really pretty song and would easily fit right in with the world of Middle Earth.

I'll be honest with you all; when I was writing the part where Silvia started singing Sleepsong, I was listening to said song on my iPod while writing it down on paper, and at the time I was really trying hard not to cry in class. The thing is that since this May I'm currently far away from home and on June 8th my family had moved to the west coast while I stay behind on the east coast. Not only was I packing to stay at the place I'm living at until possibly March, but I was also packing up my room for my family to move my things to our new home. I really miss my family and listening to Sleepsong while writing the part near the end really hit me when I was writing it up. In a way I was able to connect with Silvia for a bit. At least I know I'll be able to see my family and my new home in November during Thanksgiving break, which will be my first time flying down on my own.

What else to say that hasn't been said already? Oh! I guess I'll mention that currently (as far as writing ahead goes when it comes to writing things down on paper) I've reached the part where everyone's in Rivendell, but at the moment I'm making sure to refer to the movie for details and dialogue while editing what I've written down on paper (because we all know that we can't all memorize the movie exactly how it happened word for word).

Anyways, what did you all think? Please remember to review! ;D


	7. Trolls

ATE: Hey everyone! Here's this week's update just for you readers still around. And boy was I impressed when I saw chapter 5 got the most reviews out of the whole story so far (a total of 7)! Big thanks go out to **LoverXxofxXReading**, **Boston Rider**, **watergoddesskasey**, **1loveluffy**, **Lelleg**, **Gekkou no Netsu**, and **VG fan1** for their reviews for chapter 5 and to anyone else who have stuck around. I'm just glad you all really like the previous chapter and everything it had to offer.

I'd like to tell you all right now that I'll be addressing some things about this chapter in the AN at the end that you _will_ come across while reading (which I try my best to do for everyone's convenience). I guarantee you won't finish this chapter without finding at least 1.

Declaimer: Nope, still don't own anything related to The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings. No matter how much I wish I did it's never gonna happen. Only have ownership of my OCs.

* * *

~*~Chapter 6~*~

Silvia was confused when she found herself laying on a bedroll when she woke up, a dark cloak wrapped around her and providing warmth. Sitting up she found another bedroll set up near the one she was on before proceeding to look around. She could see the Dwarves had already set up camp and judging by the setting sun it must've been some time since they did. She noticed the ruined wooden house near their camp and for some reason it made her feel uneasy.

But how had she gotten here? She had been with Kili while traveling before singing and then-!

Oh.

_Oh._

Silvia felt horrible when she suddenly remembered what happened. She had cried in front of everyone after she had finished singing. Sure she felt embarrassed, but it was outweighed by the fact that everyone had to deal with her and thinking her childish and weak for crying for no reason. She felt disgusted with herself for acting that way.

"How are you feeling?"

Silvia's head shot up to find Thorin standing next to the bedroll she sat on with an unreadable expression on his face. She was unable to keep her gaze locked with his and looked away. She now understood how Fili and Kili must've felt like when Thorin scolded them last night.

She had disappointed Thorin Oakenshield.

She felt shame when tears started forming in her eyes. She refused to let herself cry in front of the Dwarf she followed, that she had come to view as her leader. She wouldn't have been with the Company if it hadn't been for the others convincing Thorin to bring her with them.

She suddenly felt a hand gently grab her chin before she found herself being forced to look at Thorin. The same expression was on his face and his piercing blue eyes seemed more intense than usual as he gazed at her. Her throat seemed to tighten and she tried to look away, anywhere but at him.

"Look at me." He ordered quietly, forcing her to look back at him. "Why do you not speak to me?"

Silvia gulped quietly, knowing she would have to answer.

"I'm sorry, Thorin." She managed to get out reluctantly.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I'm weak. You all had to put up with me crying earlier."

"Crying is not a weakness. Like us, you have lost something and that's why you cried."

"How can I cry for something I can't even remember having?" She asked.

"Even if the memory is gone, it doesn't mean it never existed. There's still a part of you that remembers on a subconscious level, and I have no doubt that we caught a glimpse of it when you were singing."

"Your words are kind, but I feel I don't deserve." Her tears were threatening to fall. "I fear that I'm nothing more than a burden."

Thorin sighed.

"You are no burden, Lady Silvia. I admit I originally viewed you as such, but when I saw your willingness to help I started thinking otherwise. I look at my men and see how your presence has made a difference since you joined. I don't regret bringing you with us."

Silvia was so moved by Thorin's words that she was unable to hold the tears back any longer. She soon found herself being held by the Dwarf, who seemed somewhat awkward while allowing her to silently cry. Even though it felt odd having Thorin hold her, she knew he was only trying to comfort her. Eventually her tears subsided, leaving her eyes red and slightly puffy and sniffling.

"You might not remember where you're from, but I feel you are far from home." Thorin whispered. "Know that there'll be room for you when we reclaim Erebor, for you're just as homeless as we Dwarves."

"I don't think I can thank you enough, even if I spent the rest of my life doing so." Silvia started. "You may not be my king, but I've come to view you as such, Thorin. I will follow and remain loyal to you, no matter the cost."

Silvia was surprised when she suddenly felt lips being placed on her forehead, leaving behind a kiss as the Dwarf king pulled away to gaze upon her. She didn't expect to see the soft smile that soon graced his face.

"Your song and tears are payment enough, Lady Silvia." Thorin pulled away from her. "When you are ready, come join the others."

With that Silvia watched him walk off towards the others who were around the fire. Her heart swelled and she couldn't help but smile. She had been accepted by the one person it mattered most in their group and that made her happy. He hadn't scolded her like she originally thought. Silvia glanced down at the dark cloak still around her before pulling it off. She noticed that her dress was a little damp, but still dry for the most part. She was thankful to whoever had wrapped their cloak around her and got up, folding the cloak to the best of her abilities before making her way to the fire.

She was greeted by the relieved smiles of the Dwarves and a Hobbit, receiving hugs both ranging from awkward and shy to friendly and jovial.

"It's good to see our songbird has returned and flown back to us." Bofur told her when he'd pulled away.

"Songbird?" Silvia asked.

"Aye." Balin answered, giving her a kind smile. "You've been blessed with quite a voice, lass."

Silvia blushed but was glad the glow of the fire hid it. Looking around she noticed that a certain Wizard was missing.

"Where's Gandalf?"

"He left." Dwalin answered. "Where he went, we don't know."

She couldn't help but miss the Grey Wizard. He'd been there when she needed someone to talk to whenever she felt at odds with the others, to turn to when she needed reassurance or advice. But now that he was gone she felt a bit at a loss as to what to do.

"How are you feeling, Miss Silvia?"

Silvia turned to see Bilbo sitting beside her waiting for her reply.

"I'm feeling better now if that's what you're wondering, Bilbo." She told the Hobbit.

"That's good at least. I think I speak for all of us when I say we were concerned when you started crying."

"I didn't mean to cry. I wasn't even aware of doing do until I finished singing."

"I can understand that. Maybe it invoked some emotions you weren't aware of at the time."

"Maybe."

After waiting around supper was ready and everyone was hungry. Silvia noticed that Fili and Kili weren't anywhere to be seen and assumed that Thorin ordered them to look after the ponies. Bilbo seemed anxious as he looked off into the distance.

"He's been a long time." Bilbo said.

"Who?" Bofur asked, filling up a bowl with soup.

"Gandalf."

"He's a Wizard. He does as he chooses." Bofur told him. "Here, do us a favor. Take this to the lads."

"I'll help." Silvia said just as Bofur was about to hand Bilbo two bowls of soup.

"All right, lass. Just be careful with it."

Bofur handed both Silvia and Bilbo a bowl full of soup before they left. She followed the Hobbit through the trees, not knowing where the two brothers were located with how dark it was. She was careful to watch her step to avoid tripping over anything.

"Thank you for offering to help me." Bilbo suddenly said.

"It's nothing, Bilbo." She told him. "I didn't think it was a good idea for you to go alone."

"Regardless of that, I'm still grateful."

The two soon came across Fili and Kili, but they didn't say anything. Bilbo went to stand between them, looking at both of them with a puzzled look. Silvia went around to look at them, noticing the disturbed looks on their faces as they stared at the ponies.

"What's the matter?" Bilbo asked.

"We're supposed to be looking after the ponies." Kili suddenly said.

"Only we've encountered a…slight problem." Fili finished.

"We had 16."

"Now there's…14."

"Who are we missing?" Silvia asked.

It seemed Fili and Kili were just now noticing she was there since they were suddenly staring at her. She shifted uneasily under their gaze, not sure what to make of their expressions. Much to Silvia's relief Bilbo cleared his throat, causing the brothers' attention to turn to the Hobbit. She was quite surprised when he went up and took the bowl she was carrying away from her with a smile, which she returned with a small one of her own. She wasn't much help when it came to knowing the ponies by name.

"Daisy and Bungo are missing!" Kili said when they were finished taking roll of the ponies.

"Well, that's…not good." Bilbo laughed nervously when he saw a nearby tree had been knocked down. "And that is not good _at all_. Shouldn't we tell Thorin?"

"Uh, no. Let's not worry him." Fili said, sounding nervous about telling their uncle. "As our official burglar, we thought…you might look into it."

"Well, uh…" Bilbo glanced around at the torn trees. "Look, something…_big_ uprooted these trees."

"That was our thinking." Kili commented.

"It's something _very_ big…and possibly quite dangerous."

"Hey." Silvia turned to see Fili looking at something in the distance, his voice low. "There's a light. Over here." He ushered them to follow him and they carefully navigated their way closer. "Stay down."

They all ducked behind a fallen tree when they spotted the familiar glow of a fire. They could hear someone laughing along with other voices as well. Whatever they were, they didn't sound…human.

…Or Dwarf.

…Or Hobbit.

"What is it?" Bilbo whispered.

"Trolls." Kili answered.

Both Fili and Kili climbed over the fallen tree before heading towards the firelight. Bilbo jumped over before she did and she started following them, but then the Hobbit suddenly went back. She looked over her shoulder to see him running towards her with the two bowls of soup. By the time they caught up to the two Dwarves she found them hiding behind a tree.

Someone grabbed Silvia's arm and pulled her down just as a huge creature came stomping past their hiding place. She knew one thing for certain, and that was that Trolls smelled horrible. When it was gone Silvia turned to whoever had grabbed her, coming face to face with blue eyes that belonged to a certain blonde Dwarf. She quickly pulled away from him as she crouched enough to peer over the tree in the direction the Troll went in.

And that was when she noticed the two ponies squirming underneath the Troll's arms.

"He's got _Myrtle_ and _Minty_!" Bilbo whispered before sighing. "I think they're gonna eat them. We have to do something."

That was when the two brothers turned to look at Bilbo.

"Yes, _you_ should." Kili told him, getting up. He placing a hand behind Bilbo's back as he led him forward in the direction of the Trolls, taking one of the bowl the Hobbit held away from him. "Mountain Trolls are slow and stupid, and you're _so_ small, they'll _never_ see you." Bilbo started protesting at this point. "It's _perfectly_ safe. We'll be right _behind_ you."

Silvia's eyes widened as she watched the brothers talking Bilbo into getting the ponies back. They were sending him out there by himself!

"If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl…and once like a brown owl." Fili told the Hobbit.

With that Fili pushed Bilbo in the direction the Trolls were (while he was muttering about hooting like an owl). Silvia was just about to go after him when she was suddenly grabbed from behind, a hand clamping tightly over her mouth to silence any protests she might've had. Her voice was muffled as she tried to struggle against her captor, but they simply dragged her away quietly in the opposite direction. After gaining some distance the hand that covered her mouth was removed and she was placed on her feet. Silvia tried to make a run for it, but she was grabbed again, the person spinning her around before shoving her into a tree. She was met by the sight of smoldering brown eyes that were darker than they usually were, a deep frown set on her captor's stern face.

"What are you doing?" She exclaimed. "I have to help Bilbo!"

"You can't. You'll get killed!" Kili told her.

"And he won't? He's my friend!"

"You're not _listening_ to me, Silvia!" He hissed angrily, quickly covering her mouth with his hand to silence her.

Silvia's eyes widened upon seeing the frustrated expression on Kili's face as he brought it close to hers, his eyes boring into her startled blue ones. At the moment she wasn't sure what she should be scared of more: the three Trolls they left Bilbo with or the dark haired Dwarf before her. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest in fear.

"Don't you understand that it's too dangerous for you to be near those Trolls? If they even so much as spot you they _will_ kill you! They. Will _not_. Hesitate! Which is why Fili and I are going to get the others while you stay here where it's _safe_! Do I make myself clear?"

Silvia trembled in his hold as she stared at him. He was so close that she could feel his warm breath while he breathed heavily from yelling at her. It was ironic how much Kili resembled Thorin in that moment. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't affected by his harsh tone and smoldering eyes. She must've looked terrified since Kili's face suddenly softened, looking less harsh than before.

"You forgot what I told you today." He realized, lowering his voice so only she could hear. He sighed when he saw her confusion and shook his head before raising his voice. "Let us handle things from here. If things take a turn for the worst, you hide and stay hidden until either myself or my brother come find you. Do you understand?"

Silvia nodded her head the best she could, which was enough since Kili pulled his hand away from her and backed off. She released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding before Fili came up to her.

"Stay safe, lass." He told her, patting Silvia's shoulder reassuringly.

Silvia could do nothing but watch Fili and Kili leave her there as they headed back to camp to get the others. She slumped to the ground against the tree she'd been backed into and held her hands over her racing heart. The encounter left her feeling scared, but at the same time she felt strangely touched as she realized they only did it to protect her.

Gandalf wasn't kidding when he told her Dwarves were protective when it came to their women. And she had just experienced it first hand

'_More like _overly_ protective._' She thought.

She suddenly heard the sounds of conflict and yelling coming from the direction of the Trolls and quietly made her way closer, all the while staying as hidden as possible. She knew Kili told her to hide, but he never did say _where_. She picked a spot that she thought was well hidden and her eyes were immediately drawn to the Dwarves as they fought the three Trolls. There was so much going on and Silvia realized this was the first time she ever saw the others wielding their weapons. And just like when they would set up camp, they all were working together. The ponies that had been captured by the Trolls ran past her hiding spot, and she was worried that she would've been exposed but that wasn't the case. She breathed a sigh of a relief.

"Bilbo!" She heard Kili's voice suddenly cry out.

"Don't!" Thorin's voice soon followed.

That was when Silvia noticed that the fighting had stopped and turned around, only to see two of the Trolls had grabbed Bilbo and held him between them, both of them holding and arm and a leg each.

"Lay down your arms…or we'll rip his off." One of the Trolls demanded.

Silvia's eyes widened in shock and she saw the Dwarves hesitate as they turned to Thorin. She saw their resigned looks as they surrendered, dropping their weapons (or in Kili's case practically throwing it with a frustrated look on his face) to the ground. One by one their weapons were taken away and they were stripped of their clothing (which were tossed haphazardly into a pile), which left them in their underclothes before being stuffed into sacks. Silvia covered her mouth in an attempt to keep herself as quiet as possible as some of the Dwarves (Nori, Dwalin, Ori, Dori, Bofur, and Bifur) were tied to a spit over the fire and spinning them around while the others were left lying on the ground. They were going to eat them!

'_What do I do?_' She thought frantically.

She really wanted to do something to save her friends, but she didn't know how to go about it. And then there was the fact that Kili told her to stay hidden if anything bad happened to them, which made it even harder to decide what to do. Why did she have to be so useless at a time like this when her friends were going to be eaten by two Trolls?

Wait. Two Trolls?

Weren't there supposed to be three-!

"Look wha I found!" A voice boomed behind her.

Suddenly Silvia found the world turned upside down as she was held up in the air by her legs. She couldn't see much due to the skirt of her dress blocking her vision and did her best moving it out of the way to see what was going on, only to wish she hadn't. The Troll that had been missing had found her. She could hear the others cry out her name in horror and fear set in.

"Blimey, you got a woman! And a nice lookin' morsel at that!" One of the Trolls said.

"We can eat her, right?" The Troll holding her asked excitedly. "I haven't had woman in quite some time."

"Throw her in with the others. She'll be dessert." The third Troll spinning the spit replied.

Silvia's eyes widened in horror at the prospect of being eaten, but it didn't end there. She screamed when the Troll started stripping her out of her dress until she was left in nothing but her underwear and bra. She felt mortified and ashamed as she tried to cover herself up with her arms, all the while hearing the Dwarves loudly protesting in response. But just as quickly as she had been undressed she soon found herself being shoved into a horrible smelling sack with only her head sticking out before being tossed into the pile of Dwarves (and Hobbit) that hadn't been tied to the spit. She heard a grunt of pain from the person she landed on and immediately felt horrible.

"I'm sorry." She apologized.

"It's all right."

Silvia tried her best to roll off the person she landed on in order to remove her weight from on top of them. When she managed to roll her body off, she found herself facing Kili, a frown on his face as he gazed at her.

"I told you to hide!" He scolded her quietly.

"I did." She argued.

"When I told you to hide, I assumed you knew I meant _away_ from danger! This is exactly why I wanted you to stay away!"

Silvia felt horrible for not listening and shut her eyes to block out his face. He was mad at her now. Then again she probably deserved it, too. Sadly, it looked like she'd be sharing the same fate as the others. She froze when she felt something heavy crawl on top of her and her eyes shot open to see what it was, only to take a sharp intake of breath.

"What are you doing?" She whispered, blood rushing to her face.

Her heartbeat sped up when she found Kili on top of her and was unable to look away from his eyes as he gazed down at her.

"My last attempt at keeping you safe didn't work out as well as I'd like." Kili told her in a hushed tone. "Let me keep you safe for as long as I can."

It was only then that she realized the gravity of this situation and fear set in. They were all going to be eaten and there wasn't anything they could do except wait for the inevitable.

"I'm scared…" She admitted, unable to hide the fear in her voice.

"I know."

As Kili gazed down at her Silvia noticed how his brown eyes were darker than usual (which she'd also noticed when he'd been yelling at her before the Dwarves attempted to rescue Bilbo), seeming to pull her in. She was aware of just how close he was and his body heat seemed to seep through the rough texture of the sacks they were tied up in. She was touched that he was going through the effort of keeping her safe by using his body to hide her from the Trolls. But it was her fault that he was even doing this for her.

"Wait! You are making…a _terrible_ mistake."

Silvia couldn't see what was going on (due to Kili blocking her view) but she could tell that it was Bilbo who had spoken.

"You can't reason with them. They're _half-wits_!" Dori said from the spit.

"_Half-wits_? What does that make _us_?" Bofur's voice asked.

"I _meant_ with the, uh, with the…with the seasoning." Bilbo said, sounding as if he'd been moving around with difficulty.

"Wha…about the _seasonin'_?" One of the Trolls asked, sounding curious.

"Well, have you _smelt_ them?" What?! "You're gonna need something stronger than sage before you _plate_ this lot up."

What was Bilbo doing?! Had be turned against them just so he could get away alive? She thought he had been her friend!

"Traitor!" Bombur's voice yelled from somewhere beside her.

The rest of the Dwarves started protesting as well, but Silvia stayed quiet due to shock.

"Wha do you know about cookin' _Dwarf_?" A different Troll asked.

"Shut up." The first Troll ordered. "Let the…flurgaburburhobbit talk."

Flurga-what?

"Uh, t-the secret to cooking Dwarf is, um…"

"Yes? Come on. Tell us the secret."

"It's, uh…"

"Tell us the secret."

"Yes, I'm _telling_ you." Bilbo sounded like he was under pressure. "The secret is…" Silvia saw Kili look anxiously in the direction Bilbo must've been in (along with everyone else) when the Hobbit trailed off. "…to _skin_ them first."

"What? Skin us?" A Dwarf asked before the other protested.

"Tom, get me filleting knife."

The Trolls had names?

"I'll skin you, you little-!" Gloin yelled.

"I won't forget that." Silvia heard Dwalin's booming voice yell. "I won't forget it."

"Wha a load of _wubbish_!" The second Troll exclaimed. "I've eaten plenty with their skins on. Scarf them, I say boots, and all."

"He's right. Nothin' wrong with a bit of _raw_ Dwarf." The third Troll (whose voice she'd recognized to be the one who caught her) said before suddenly picking up Bombur. "_Nice_ and _crunchy_."

Silvia could hear Bombur's cries of fear and she realized that the Troll that picked up the fat Dwarf was going to eat him!

"O-oh, not that one! H-he's infected." Bilbo suddenly said.

"Huh?"

"You wha?"

"Yeah, he's got worms in his…_tubes_."

She could hear the Troll screaming before she felt something heavy land on top of her and Kili. Even though the air had been knocked out of her lungs Silvia knew that the dark haired Dwarf on top of her had taken the brunt of the impact, his facing scrunching up in pain as he let out a groan. However his groan of pain was interrupted when the force of Bombur falling on them propelled Kili's face forward until his lips crashed into hers. Silvia's eyes widened in shock from the contact and judging by his reaction the Dwarf felt the same way as well. He quickly pulled his face away from her looking just as awkward as she felt.

"I-in fact, they all have. They're _infested _with _parasites_. It's a terrible business. I wouldn't risk it. I really wouldn't." Bilbo added.

"Parasites? Did he say 'parasites'?" Oin's voice asked from nearby.

Kili's head shot in the direction Oin was in with an indignant look on his face.

"Yeah, he said-!" Kili started before quickly turning to face Bilbo's direction. "_We_ don't have _parasites_! _You_ have parasites!"

Normally Silvia would've laughed at the fact that Kili was acting like a little kid, but she could understand since Bilbo _was _accusing her of being infected as well.

"What are you talking about, laddie?"

The rest of the Dwarves were yelling at Bilbo's accusation of them being infected. However everyone suddenly went quiet after Kili was kicked in the head. She assumed that they looked at each other before anyone spoke.

"I've got parasites as big as my _arm_." Oin suddenly said.

"M_ine_ are the biggest parasites. I've got _huge_ parasites!" Kili added. Silvia blushed at his exaggeration but couldn't figure out why. "We're riddled."

"Yes, I'm riddled."

"Yes, we are, badly."

The Dwarves continued trying to outdo each other by exaggerating how big their 'parasites' were.

"Wha would you have us _do_, then? Le 'em all _go_?" One of the Trolls asked.

"Well…" Bilbo started.

"You _think_ I dunno wha you're up to? This lil' ferret is takin' _us_ for fools."

"_Ferret_?"

"_Fools_?" Another Troll asked.

"The dawn will take you all!"

Silvia gasped, surprised to hear the familiar voice that suddenly spoke. Could it be?

"Who's that?"

"No idea."

"Can we eat 'im too?"

Suddenly Silvia heard the sound of stone cracking before they were all bathed in warm sunlight. The Trolls, however, were screaming in pain before going silent. That was when everyone started laughing and cheering and Silvia soon understood why since she joined them as well, feeling relief. Kili then turned to her with a huge grin on his face and his eyes sparkling when he gazed down at her.

"We're saved!" He told her, causing her to smile.

Gandalf had saved them. But so did Bilbo, she realized, by stalling for time. Even if his method had been a little questionable.

"Get your foot out of my back." Dwalin suddenly yelled.

* * *

ATE: OKAY! Time to address those issues I was telling you all about!

(1) First and foremost (which is why this is labeled number 1 after all): I am NOT exactly proud or happy with how the beginning bit between Silvia and Thorin turned out, especially given the fact that (when I read over this) he was OOC. I really couldn't figure out how to go about that bit concerning him and it was set up to show that he's accepted her along with the other Dwarves. I almost saw it as being a bit like a father-daughter moment given how young Silvia is compared to everyone else in the Company. Hopefully this makes as much sense to you as it does me, but I could be wrong.

(2) The bit concerning Kili' yelling (for lack of better words) at Silvia: I know this may seem like a strange choice. "Why Kili?" "You could've had Fili do it." The thing is that I couldn't imagine Fili yelling at Silvia, and seeing how rash Kili can be he got the job. What I mean to say is that I could easily see Kili doing this instead of Fili. Enough said.

(3) The Trolls: Oh god the TROLLS (and I don't mean the ones Bilbo, Fili, and Kili spotted in Episode #60 of Oakentoon by PeckishOwl on DA; look it up and you'll see what I mean)! Not only was their speech atrocious but trying to convey that in this chapter was a _nightmare_! Let's just say that I'm glad that I don't have to deal with Trolls again after this. I think I might have jinxed myself with that one, but we'll see when BOFA comes out this December.

I think that covers all the issues with this chapter. I had to watch this part of the movie a few times to make sure I got certain details right for accuracy's sake.

So what'd you all think? Good? Bad? Maybe even funny (if applicable)? Whatever your thoughts are on this chapter, be sure to leave them in a review. I like to hear what my readers have to say.

Please and thank you! ;D


	8. Having Faith in Yourself

ATE: Here we are at this week's update of the story! Anyways, thanks go to **VG fan1**, **TheRealProtector**, **Eruwaedhiel95**, and **Boston Rider** for their reviews for the previous chapter (or in **TheRealProtector's** case the first chapter) and everyone else still reading. Can't really think of anything else to say right now so...enjoy!

Declaimer: I will never own The Hobbit of Lord of the Rings in any way, shape, or form. I only own my OCs.

* * *

~*~Chapter 7~*~

Silvia could hear the voices of the Dwarves that had been tied to the spit cheer when Gandalf (she assumed) freed them. One by one the Wizard managed to free those still in sacks until her and Kili were the last ones left.

"I would think Lady Silvia would greatly appreciate you getting off her, Kili." Gandalf said.

That was when Silvia remembered the fact that Kili was still on top of her and blushed as he quickly rolled off her. She watched as Gandalf cut the rope that kept the Dwarf trapped in the sack, but started blushing violently when she spotted a bare chest as he emerged from the bag. Thankfully Gandalf blocked her view before she could see more.

"It would seem that I must take you away from prying eyes, my dear, in order for you to keep your dignity." He told her.

Before Silvia could respond Gandalf easily picked her up and started carrying her over to some bushes. She knew for a fact that an old man like him shouldn't have been able to pull that off even if he was a Wizard. The Dwarves she could understand, maybe even a younger looking Gandalf, but not the old man carrying her now. They soon got behind some bushes and Gandalf freed her. Due to her lack of clothing Silvia did her best to keep herself covered using the very sack she'd been trapped in.

"Wait here."

With that the Grey Wizard left her there to sit on the ground. Thankfully Gandalf soon came back with her clothes and shoes before leaving her alone. As Silvia was getting dressed she could hear talking.

"Where did you go to, if I may ask?" Thorin's voice asked.

"To look ahead." Gandalf replied.

"What brought you back?"

"Looking _behind_. Nasty business." A huge smile appeared on Silvia's face as she tried not to laugh. "Still, they're all in one piece."

"No thanks to your burglar."

At this she frowned, hearing the tone Thorin was using.

"He had the nous to play for _time_. None of the rest of you thought of _that_." Gandalf had a good point, seeing as the Dwarves hadn't done anything when they were captured. "They must have come down from the Ettenmoors."

"Since when do Mountain Trolls venture this far south?"

"Ooh. Not for an age. Not since a darker power ruled these lands. They could not have moved in daylight."

So that's why the Trolls turned to stone when they were exposed to sunlight. That explained why Bilbo had been stalling for time before Gandalf appeared.

"There must be a cave nearby."

A cave? Silvia quickly finished getting dressed in her clothes and immediately felt less ashamed with herself now that she wore something. As soon as she came out from behind the bush she noticed how everyone was already dressed before she was approached by Oin. She held back the urge to laugh as the deaf Dwarf began fretting over her, asking if she was okay or if she had gotten hurt. When he found out that she was fine Oin let out a sigh of relief.

Due to Thorin learning about there being a cave the Dwarf leader ordered everyone to head back to camp and pack everything up before traveling to wherever they were going. Silvia was confused as to why they were heading to such a place.

"What is this cave we're heading to? And why were the Trolls there?" Silvia asked.

"Well, that'd be because it's a Troll-hoard." Bofur told her.

"What's a Troll-hoard?"

"It's a cave where Trolls stay and hoard treasure, lass."

After traveling for some time they eventually arrived at what Silvia assumed to be the Troll-hoard the others had been talking about. The first thing she noticed was the smell coming from it, and she wasn't even close to the entrance! It smelled like the Trolls except worse!

"Oh, what's that stench?" Nori asked.

"It's a Troll-hoard." Gandalf told them. "Be careful what you touch."

Hesitantly Silvia followed everyone inside, only to suddenly be assaulted by the full smell of the cave. She couldn't figure out what it smelled like, but whatever it was it smelled like a combination of all the horrible smells of the world all mixed together in one place. She started gagging violently as she choked on air and before she knew it she found herself vomiting on the ground (luckily no one was close enough to get hit). Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she continued to choke and gag, trying her best not to throw up again.

"Someone get her outside." Thorin ordered.

Silvia felt someone grab ahold of her before quickly ushering her outside. She clamped a hand tightly over her mouth as bile threatened to come up again. Soon she couldn't hold it in any longer and dropped to her knees before retching. Two pairs of hands held her long black hair out of her face as she continued and after awhile she was reduced to dry heaving. She realized the tears she'd been trying to hold back had already fallen and soon she felt a hand rubbing her back soothingly which helped her calm down after her bout.

"Breathe." Someone told her calmly.

Silvia did as she was told, inhaling deeply before letting out a shaky breath. The hand continued to rub her back while the other pair of hands continued to hold her hair back. She froze.

_Two_ pairs of hands?

She looked over her shoulder to find Fili and Kili kneeling on either side of her, the former holding her hair back while the latter had been rubbing her back. She felt horrible seeing the looks of concern and pity on their faces.

"I'm fine." She choked out, looking away so she wouldn't have to see their expressions.

"Are you sure?" Fili asked.

She nodded weakly, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.

"It was just the smell. God, I've never smelled something so horrible in my life."

"That you're capable of remembering, I reckon." Kili added.

"Yeah, that I can remember…"

From behind her Fili and Kili exchanged looks, realizing they might've hit a sore topic for the woman before them.

"Come on!" Fili said as the two brothers suddenly pulled her to her feet. "Let's go see Ori."

Silvia was surprised when Fili and Kili each grabbed one of her arms and started dragging her back in the direction they came from. She started to panic, thinking that the two Dwarves were taking her back to the cave, but her fears were proven to be misplaced when they headed over to where Ori sat writing in his book while looking after the ponies. As soon as they got there Fili and Kili made Silvia sit on the ground before sitting down on either side of her. She blushed at how close they were sitting to her, but at the same time it made her feel better, feel safe.

"So what are your impressions of Trolls now that you've encountered them?" Fili asked.

"Nerve-wracking." She answered.

"We were almost eaten by Trolls and all you have to say is that it was 'nerve-wracking'?' Weren't you the least bit scared?"

"I was. It's just that…" Silvia trailed off.

"Just what…?"

Silvia blushed as she recalled what happened with Kili when Bombur fell on them.

"I just felt safe at the time despite being scared, that's all."

"Yeah, I bet you did." Kili said quickly from beside her.

Silvia watched as Fili leaned forward to look around her and at Kili.

"Kee, what aren't you tell me?" Fili asked, sounding quite pleasant despite being suspicious.

"Nothing!" Kili whined playfully, stretching the word slightly near the end.

Fili suddenly stood up, which surprised Silvia before the blonde Dwarf made his way around her to stand before Kili.

"Lady Silvia, why don't you chat with Ori while my brother and I go off to discuss some…things?"

Before she could say anything Fili and Kili ran off, leaving Silvia with Ori and the ponies. She glanced over to the Dwarf and noticed how absorbed he was in his writing (or was he drawing?). She suddenly felt curious as she continued to watch and was unsure if she should interrupt, but in the end she decided to say something.

"What are you doing? She asked.

Ori looked startled when he heard her question and glanced at her before quickly looking away.

"I'm writing down what happened." Ori replied shyly.

"Why?" She made her way over to the shy Dwarf.

"Because I'm chronicling our quest so everyone back home will know what happened."

"You mean like a story? Like the ones I've heard you all tell while traveling?"

Ori nodded.

"May I?" She asked, deciding to sit next to him.

Ori hesitated a bit but eventually placed the book between them. Silvia stared down at the current page he had been writing on before speaking to him, amazed by how neatly the symbols had been drawn. But despite how fascinated she was, she couldn't stop the confusion she soon felt.

"I can't read them." She confessed.

Ori laughed quietly as if he was afraid to offend her in some way.

"That's because they're Dwarf Runes, Lady Silvia." He explained simply. "Aside from our race, there are only a rare few who can read them, let alone speak the language."

"Could you read me something?"

"Like what?" Ori looked at her questioningly.

"Like how you met Bilbo and what occurred."

Silvia watched as Ori smiled at her, not a shy one but more of the one that was of appreciation before turning the pages of the thick book to the beginning. She listened eagerly as he read the Dwarf Runes on the pages as he retold the time the Dwarves spent at Bag End, laughing at what happened and the bits Ori provided on the side that weren't written down. She noticed a drawing on one of the pages that showed Bilbo looking over a lengthy piece of paper that had obviously been folded so many times to compact all the pieces that folded out at the sides. Ori soon finished up what he'd read to her by ending it with the Dwarves going to sleep after their song.

"Did you do that drawing of Bilbo?" She asked.

"I did." Ori replied.

"Are there any more?"

At this Ori blushed and nodded his head. He passed the book closer to her, a clear invitation of allowing her to look through the book which she accepted gratefully. Silvia took care in turning the pages and looking at the drawings she found along the way, but one of them soon caught her eye. It was of a beautiful woman lying on the ground as if asleep, her dark hair sprawled around her head while there were stains on her dress. She noticed that the dress looked similar to the one she wore and glanced down at her clothes. They were the exact same. Did that mean the woman in the drawing was her? Was this from when the Company first found her?

'_Is that what I look like?_' She thought.

It was true that there hadn't been any chances to see her own reflection and the closest she had gotten was near a river, but even then it was difficult to make out the face that stared back at her. Which was why she felt surprised at realizing that Ori had drawn what she looked like.

She continued looking through the drawings she came across, spotting two more drawings showing her giving blankets to Thorin and then Fili and Kili that she remembered warming up with help from Bofur and Gloin. She could still remember how worried and concern she'd been when Kili almost drowned and Thorin jumping in to rescue he and Fili when the blonde Dwarf tried to save his brother. She smiled, glad that she'd been able to do something to make the three Dwarves feel better in the end. The very last drawing she came across was from their encounter with the Trolls when they'd been arguing about how to cook them. When she was done Silvia handed the book back to Ori, giving him a smile.

"They're lovely, Ori. Thank you." She told him, to which the Dwarf blushed at.

It was at that time that Fili and Kili returned and soon after the others returned from being inside the Troll-hoard. Due to the rough night everyone had Thorin allowed them some time to rest, which was something they were all grateful for. As Silvia glanced around at everyone she noticed that both Thorin and Gandalf had new weapons along with Bilbo who kept glancing down at the small sword he held.

"You found a weapon." Silvia said when she approached the Hobbit.

"Actually Gandalf found it and gave it to me." He corrected, looking at her.

She giggled.

"At least now you have a means to defend yourself whenever we run into trouble."

"I'd like to believe that's true, Miss Silvia. But I don't know how to fight, nor do I think I'll be brave enough to do so when the times comes."

"Is that what you believe or know to be fact?"

Bilbo sighed.

"I don't know."

Silvia grabbed Bilbo's hands in her own, going down on her knees so she'd be eye level with him. She gave him a reassuring smile.

"I'm aware that I've only known you and everyone else here for only a few days. But from what I've learned so far I see that you have a kind and gentle soul, Bilbo Baggins. You may be small, but I believe you're capable of doing so much more than you give yourself credit for. After all it was you that came up with the idea to stall for time when it came to the Trolls. That's why I believe you'll be able to use the sword you were given when the time comes."

"You're putting an awful lot of faith in me." He commented.

"Am I misplacing it?" she asked.

"N-no, it's just that I think…?" Bilbo trailed off, glancing over at the group she knew was behind her. She saw the forlorn look in his eyes before he turned back to her. "I just think you'd have more luck placing it with the Dwarves than with me."

"But I'm choosing to give it to you." Silvia squeezed Bilbo's hands a bit. "I know that the Dwarves can fight; that's a fact. You're my friend, Bilbo, and I'm choosing to believe in you. To believe that you will find courage when you need it most. That's why I have faith in you and what I believe."

Bilbo stared at her when she finished her speech, surprised by what she told him.

"Gandalf told me that true courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one." Bilbo then chuckled. "For a minute there you almost sounded like him!"

Silvia laughed.

"I'm glad you feel better."

"You're right. I should be thanking you."

"You don't need to."

"But I-!"

"Something's coming!" Thorin suddenly yelled.

"Stay together!" Gandalf told them. "Hurry now! Arm yourselves!"

Silvia didn't know what was going on as the Dwarves pulled out their weapons as if preparing for an attack. And that was when she noticed the sound heading towards them. But what came out of the bushes wasn't something she expected.

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!"

An old man came out of the bushes riding on a sleigh pulled by…large rabbits? Silvia blinked to make sure she wasn't seeing things, but they were still there. The man stopped the sleigh and that was when she was able to get a better look. He wore long brown robes similar to Gandalf's, graying hair appearing to be tangled underneath his hat while there was…bird poop on the side of his face.

"Radagast. It's Radagast the Brown!" Gandalf said as he started approaching the old man on the sleigh. So this was the Brown Wizard he'd told them about when they were traveling in the rain. "Well… What on earth are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you, Gandalf." Radagast answered. "Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong."

"Yes?"

Radagast went to open his mouth to speak but suddenly stopped short when he seemed to forget what he was about to say.

"Oh." He looked like he remembered again but then forgot just as quickly. Everyone watched on as this happened. "Oh. I had a thought and now I've lost it. It was right there on the tip of my tongue. Oh. It's not a thought at all." Radagast suddenly opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue. "It's a silly old…" Silvia was confused, but then she gagged when she saw something crawling out of the Wizard's mouth. Gandalf reached out and grabbed it between his two fingers. "…stick insect."

'_I think I'm going to be sick._' She thought, having to look away.

Bilbo must've seen her face since he grabbed her arm.

"Maybe you should sit down for a moment." The Hobbit told her.

* * *

ATE: Now time to address some things from this chapter:

(1) The Troll-hoard: It was interesting trying to imagine what the Troll-hoard could possibly smell like, but I was honestly under the impression that it would smell so horrible that as soon as you took one sniff you'd vomit on the spot (if the Dwarves coughing in the movie wasn't any indication). And since I'm the kind of person who would throw up upon smelling something foul this would be realistic for Silvia to suffer throwing up. That's just my opinion.

(2) Ori: Okay, from all the fanfics I've read they've always had Ori being incredibly shy, which is actually understandable. But I decided to write him a little differently and not make his so shy (I did compare him to Bashful in one of the previous chapters) by making it that he'd come out of his shell a bit as he got to know Silvia a little better, especially when it comes to something he likes to do (which would be drawing and writing in his journal). This this makes sense to you, great!

That's all I can think of when it comes to some of the things concerning this chapter. Anyways, please remember to review and tell me what you think! ;D


	9. Fear of Death

ATE: It's that time again everyone. Thanks go out to **Lelleg**, **Boston Rider**, **VG fan 1**, **Gekkou no Netsu**, **Eruwaedhiel95**, and **myharlequinromance321 **for their reviews on chapter 7. Everyone else is just plan awesome for sticking around! I still remember writing this chapter down on paper a few weeks or so back and remembering how different some things were than how they ended up being as far as this chapter goes. Enjoy!

Declaimer: I'd think by now we all know that I'll never own the rights to The Hobbit and/or Lord of the Rings. That's just wishful thinking in general. I only own my OCs.

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~*~Chapter 8~*~

Gandalf had pulled Radagast off to the side so they could talk, leaving the others to their own device for the time being. Silvia followed Bilbo's advice and sat down after witnessing the stick insect incident that occurred not that long ago. Luckily it helped her to calm down much to her relief. She kept looking over at Radagast's sleigh, or more specifically the large rabbit that pulled it. They were larger than normal rabbits, but all the same they were rabbits. Their heads turned to face her, their eyes staring at her, and that was when she realized that she must've gotten up at one point since she stood before them. She slowly got on her knees since she didn't want to scare them.

'_They look so fluffy._' She thought, slowly reaching out with the intent of petting one. '_Maybe they're as soft as they look._'

Silvia was surprised when the rabbit didn't back away from her; the exact opposite, actually. It came to her before nuzzling its face into the palm of her hand. She giggled at this, amazed that she didn't scare it off. Then again Radagast was using them to pull his sleigh so they probably weren't like normal animals. She had been right about the rabbit being soft when she petted its fur. Silvia was even more surprised when the other rabbits came up to her also wanting attention. At this point a huge smile broke out on her face.

"It seems you also attract animals for company as well."

Silvia turned around to face the person talking to her, her smile never leaving her face.

"Hello, Gloin." She greeted. "They're surprisingly friendly considering the nature of rabbits."

Gloin chuckled at this.

"Even from a completely different race, women still end up having at least one thing in common with each other." He stated.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because it's true. Sure they may have their differences and preferences, but when it comes down to it they can all agree on two things."

"And what would those be?"

"The capability to like and dislike something or someone."

She could admit that Gloin had a good point, but found that it could apply to all races and gender and not just women. But now that she thought about it, when was the last time she'd been able to interact with another woman? Try as she might Silvia couldn't find the answer in her mind.

"How are you feeling, lass?"

"What?" Silvia asked, being pulled from her thoughts.

Gloin sighed.

"I'm asking how you're feeling after what happened in the Troll-hoard." He told her.

"Oh." She lowered her head. "I've never smelled something so horrible before. I was practically choking on the air itself."

"A Troll-hoard can do that to you the first time or so. It's nothing to be ashamed about."

"I wish I didn't have to be so weak."

"But what you lack in strength you easily make up for in kindness and consideration. That's just as valuable as any treasure."

Silvia smiled.

"Thank you for your kind words. I'm sure Gimli is proud to have you as his father." She said.

"Any Dwarf would be proud to be a parent, let alone have a family. It's a shame that not many of us get the chance."

"Yeah, it is."

Suddenly a howling sound broke the peace the Company had been enjoying and the Dwarves were suddenly on guard. Silvia quickly got up, holding her hands over her chest fearfully as she looked around with wide eyes.

"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo asked fearfully. "A-are there wolves out there?"

"Wolves? No, that is not a wolf." Bofur said, his usually cheery tone absent from his voice. He almost sounded scared.

Suddenly what appeared to be some sort of giant wolf came out of nowhere and tried to attack the Company. Thorin had been quick to take care of it, but then a second one came out to replace it.

"Kili! Get your bow!" Thorin yelled.

Silvia watched as an arrow embedded itself in the giant wolf's left shoulder, causing it to lose its footing. However it soon got up and her eyes widened when it began charging towards her. On reflex she tried to get away, but she ended up tripping over something and her ankle flared up in pain as she fell. The giant wolf wasted no time pouncing on her and she screamed while struggling desperately to escape what she knew was coming. Right when she thought it was going to kill her the giant wolf suddenly stopped moving before it felt on top of her, pinning Silvia in place.

Shocked by everything that happened she was hardly aware of the creature being rolled off her or the arms wrapped around her as she was led away from where she tripped. When she regained awareness she noticed that she was being held by someone and spotted hints of blonde hair out of the corner of her eye. She pulled away to see the face of a certain blonde Dwarf as his blue eyes showed concern.

"Fili? What happened?" She asked quietly, surprised that her voice shook.

When Fili didn't answer Silvia become anxious. She glanced around her noticing how everyone seemed to be on edge at the moment. That was when she spotted the giant wolf on the ground and froze. It was lying completely still with an arrow protruding from its left shoulder while something had hit it on its head, a dark substance staining the fur around the injury. That was when she was aware of something wet on her face and brought a hand up to touch it. When she pulled her hand away she saw the same dark substance smeared on it. Her hands suddenly started shaking when her mind started connecting the dots and she became horrified once she realized what happened.

She had almost been killed.

That thing's blood was on her face and hand.

It was dead.

Silvia's heart was pounding in her chest as her breathing sped up. All sound seemed to become distorted as all she could focus on was the dead creature on the ground. Try as she might she was unable to look away from it. That thing almost killed her! It almost killed her! This kept repeating itself in her head like a mantra. Out of nowhere an image of a woman appeared in her head, having brown hair and green eyes. She wore a fancy looking gown with a crown on top of her head. What terrified Silvia was the look on the woman's face as she looked down at her, aiming a gun (how did she know what it was?) at her before pulling the trigger. She felt pain, but at the same time she didn't, and she realized it must've been a memory.

She…died…?

"Listen to me, Silvia!"

Silvia was brought back to reality when a pair of hands were suddenly holding her head and forcing her to turn to face the person speaking to her. She found herself looking at Fili's face, his blue eyes locked on hers. She became aware of the fear she felt and her body trembling as a result of her close encounter with death.

"Focus on me." He told her, his voice quiet as he seemed to be pleading. "Focus on my voice." At first Silvia was confused as to why Fili was telling her this but soon realized he was trying to distract her from what happened. She started feeling anxious again and he picked up on it. "Focus… You're safe…"

His calm tone began to have a soothing effect on her since she started calming down. Eventually Fili pulled his hands away when he deemed her calm enough to be stable and a relieved smile appeared on his face. Silvia then noticed something feeling her ankle and hissed in pain when it touched a certain spot.

"She's twisted her ankle." Oin's voice suddenly said, causing her to turn her head and find the Dwarf examining her now swollen ankle. "Someone will have to carry her."

Wait. Why did she have to have someone carry her?

"I'll do it." Fili volunteered.

Why did she have to be carried?!

Before Silvia could protest she soon found herself being carried on Fili's back which forced her to wrap her arms around his neck. Despite what she knew about Dwarves their strength seemed to surprise her every time without fail.

"I'll draw them off." Radagast's voice said.

"These are Gundabad Wargs." Gandalf stated. "They will outrun you."

"These are Rhosgobel rabbits. I'd like to see them try."

Everything seemed to pass by in a blur and before she knew it the Company was running through a field as they tried to flee. Silvia didn't know what they were running from, but she got the feeling it had something to do with the giant wolves (or Wargs, she learned) from earlier. What she did know was at the moment they were hiding, waiting for the coast to be clear.

"Come on." Gandalf told them before they started running again, only to suddenly hide again. Some time passed before he spoke again. "Stay together."

"Move!" Thorin ordered.

They started running again, and Silvia had no idea what was going on. They suddenly stopped again and she could hear Fili's heavy breathing, possibly from the adrenaline running through his veins due to the constant feeling of danger the Company was all experiencing as they ran for their lives.

"Ori, no!" Thorin cried out. "Get back."

Judging by Thorin's tone Ori would've been discovered if the Dwarf leader hadn't stopped him.

At one point they almost got discovered before being forced to hide behind a large rock.

"All of you, come on. Quick!" Gandalf said after a bit of a pause.

And then they were running but again they were forced to stop again, this time behind a large boulder. Her breath got stuck in her throat when she heard something above them and a sniffing sound, followed by growling. She did her best to hide her face in Fili's shoulder in fear, too scared to see what was going on. After some time she soon heard the sound of an arrow being fired before hearing the sound of whimpering as (what she assumed) a Warg must've fallen in front of them. Another arrow must've been let loose since she heard the Warg shriek from in front of them. Something else must've been with the Warg since she could hear the Dwarves attacking it and whatever it was let out a horribly loud shriek. Despite how scared she was her curiosity made her want to look and see what it was.

"Don't look!" Fili whispered sharply when she tried lifting her head.

Silvia quickly listened to Fili's order and continued hiding her face. Even if she was curious she thought it better to listen instead. Especially after what happened when she hadn't listened to Kili about the Trolls. Eventually the shrieking suddenly stopped and everything was deathly quiet.

"Move! Run!" Gandalf ordered.

Everyone began running and she realized that after what just happened their pursuers knew where they were and would chase after them. She soon heard them from behind and tightened her hold around Fili's neck slightly while burying her face further into his shoulder.

"There they are!" Gloin yelled and Silvia assumed that he'd spotted their pursuers.

"This way! Quickly!"

"There's more coming!" Kili's voice shouted from behind.

"Kili! Shoot them!" Thorin shouted.

"We're surrounded!" Fili shouted.

Then that meant they were getting close! The Wargs and whatever their riders were would be upon them soon! Silvia squeezed her eyes shut in fear. She was scared and there wasn't anything she could do about it. She could hear the sound of arrows being fired off and hitting their mark.

"Where's Gandalf?" Dori asked.

"He's abandoned us." Dwalin yelled.

Silvia froze. Gandalf abandoned them? That couldn't be true! He'd never do that!

"Hold your ground!" Thorin shouted.

Silvia could hear growling nearby and she started shaking. Was this how it was going to end for them?

"This way, you fools!"

Silvia felt relieved to hear Gandalf's voice. She looked up just in time to see Gandalf go behind a ground of boulders and descend as if he were moving down a hill.

"Come one, move!" At Thorin's demand everyone started following after Gandalf. "Quickly! All of you!"

By the time Fili caught up with the others they soon came across a hole leading underground, where the rest of the Company that went ahead were already inside waiting for them. Silvia was surprised when Fili suddenly pulled her from his back before switching her into his arms. She looked at him to see him looking back and forth between the hole and behind him, as if he was trying to decide something before glancing down at the hole in front of them.

"Dwalin! Catch!" He yelled.

"Fili, what are you-?!"

Silvia wasn't able to finish what she was saying because of the scream she let out when Fili dropped her down the hole. She thought she was going to hit the ground, but instead found herself in Dwalin's arms when he caught her.

"You okay, lass?" The gruff Dwarf asked.

"Y-yeah…" She replied, somewhat shaken from her fall. "Thanks…"

Dwalin merely grunted before he carried Silvia over to a nearby rock and placing her down on top of it to sit. She glanced around her at everyone to see if they were all there but found that Fili and two others were missing.

"Kili! Run!" Thorin's voice yelled from above.

Silvia's eyes widened as she turned to look at the opening above. Thorin, Fili, and Kili were still out there! She became worried but it didn't last long when Fili and Kili fell in followed by Thorin. Everyone was relieved but suddenly they heard what sounded like horns piercing the air, followed by the sounds of conflict. Silvia jumped in fright when a grotesque looking creature fell into the hole they were hiding in with an arrow imbedded in its neck.

"What is that?" She asked quietly, unable to hide the fear she felt.

"That, Lady Silvia, is the dead body of an Orc." Fili told her simply.

That thing was an Orc? Silvia gulped. It was horrifying! And a bunch of these creatures had been after them too. Then that meant the shrieking sound she heard when the Dwarves were attacking came from this thing when they were-! No wonder Fili told her not to look.

"Elves." Thorin suddenly spat out, a sneer on his face when he examined the arrow he'd pulled out of the Orc's neck before looking over to Gandalf.

"I cannot see where the pathway leads." Dwalin suddenly said. "Do we follow it or not?"

"Follow it, of course." Bofur answered as if it were obvious.

At this everyone started making their way towards the pathway.

"I think that would be wise." Gandalf commented.

As everyone started making their way to the passage Fili came over to her.

"Can you walk?" He asked her.

Silvia tried to stand up but the pain in her ankle forced her to stop. Upon seeing this Fili went over and allowed her to use him as support.

"Kili." He called, causing the dark haired Dwarf to face him. "Carry her for me."

Before she knew it Silvia found herself being carried on Kili's back while they made their way through the passageway with the others. She found it surprising how Fili and Kili were so willing to carry her so far that it made her feel…she wasn't able to put a word to it, but regardless it felt like a good thing.

"Kili." She called, grabbing his attention. "Are you okay?"

Kili chuckled quietly.

"Of course I'm fine. Why do you ask?" He asked.

"Thorin was yelling at you earlier."

"Oh, that. I was holding off the Orcs to buy us some time. He was only worried about m."

Silvia was quiet at this. So that explained why he was yelling earlier.

"I'm sorry you and Fili had to carry me."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing we're carrying you. You shouldn't keep underestimating Dwarves, you know?" Silvia knew he was trying to make her feel better, but it didn't work for her. He sighed. "All I'm saying is that you shouldn't have to apologize. It's not like you could've stopped yourself from spraining your ankle."

"But it's my fault that-!"

"Stop right there!" Kili interrupted firmly, his carefree tone gone. "You're not allowed to think about what happened."

"But I…!" Silvia started, but stopped. She thought of the woman she saw that shot her, deciding it was best not to tell Kili or anyone else in their group. Just like she did with Fili she buried her face into Kili's shoulder. "…I almost died."

"I told you not to think about it." He sighed. "You're alive and safe. Focus on that."

Silvia started trembling slightly and soon found tears leaking from her eyes as she cried silently. She hid her face further into Kili's shoulder, not wanting the others to know. If the Dwarf carrying her noticed this, he didn't say anything about it, which she was glad about. She hated how she'd been crying so much recently and now everyone had to put up with it (despite what Thorin told her yesterday). She knew she was alive and safe and that the Dwarves wouldn't let anything happen to her.

What was the point in keeping her around when she couldn't do anything to defend herself? All she was able to do was cook and help others when it came to setting and packing up camp. She didn't want to be weak or defenseless. She wanted to be able to fight, to adequately pay the Dwarves back for their kindness with more than just her current skills and songs. They deserved that much. That way she could prevent herself from being in another situation like she'd been in with the Warg.

"There's light ahead." Gloin suddenly said.

Silvia suddenly felt the warmth of the sun and the sound of waterfalls in the distances. She lifted her head to see where they were, only to have her breath taken away by what she saw. It was a beautiful white structure that made her think of a very large house, but it didn't look anything like a house in design.

"The Valley of Imladris." Gandalf said after coming out of the pathway. "In the common tongue, it's known by another name."

"Rivendell." Bilbo finished, sounding awestruck.

"Here lies the Last Homely House East of the Sea."

"It's so beautiful." Silvia said, a smile forming on her face.

But the reaction she got from Kili wasn't what she expected. She suddenly felt his hold on her legs tighten slightly as he went tense. In fact looking around at the Dwarves she saw that they had looks of disgust on their faces because of where they were. This confused Silvia. What was wrong with Rivendell?

"This was your plan all along." Thorin said accusingly as he approached Gandalf, not looking at all pleased. "To seek refuge with our enemy."

"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield. The only ill will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself."

"You think the Elves will give our quest their blessing? They will try to stop us."

"Of course they will. But we have questions that need to be answered." Thorin lowered his eyes at this as if admitting the Grey Wizard was right. "It we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact. And respect. And no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave the talking to me."

* * *

ATE: Okay, time to explain (may not be in exact order)!

(1) Warg Chase Scene: I cannot express how much I hate this scene, let alone read it in other fanfics because it's practically the same thing every time! I wanted to try something different since we all know how everything plays out in this part of the movie. What you read was the result.

(2) Silvia's sprained ankle: This is a funny little thing that happened without intention. Ironically enough two weeks after I wrote that part down on paper I ended up spraining my ankle temporarily when my left foot decided it wanted to go to sleep one morning. Let's just say that I didn't have a nice fall. I got better!

(3) Fili and Dwalin: Originally Fili was going to go down the hole with Silvia, but when I watched the scene again (because at the time I was writing this part down on paper I was doing everything from memory) I realized that Thorin, Fili, and Kili stayed behind and were the last ones in. So I had to change a few things around and that was why Fili threw Silvia down the hole and had Dwalin catch her.

That's it for now, so please remember to review! ;D


	10. Meeting Elves

ATE: I know I'm one week late in mentioning this, but I recently saw the teaser trailer for Battle of Five Armies, and I'll admit that a small part of me died inside from seeing it. I now know that it won't be easy for me to watch but at the same time I'm still excited to see it just to have closure.

Let me tell you right now that this chapter is a total of 6,447 words long, meaning that (by the time this is posted) it would've been the longest chapter so far in this story. I find it strange how I tend to have a word or phrase I use a lot in each chapter, which is funny to say the least.

Thanks go out to **Lelleg**, **VG fan1**, **Boston Rider**, and **myharlequinromance321** for their reviews on chapter 8. Seeing as I'm following the extended version of An Unexpected Journey we'll be treated to two special parts from the Dinner Scene that we'll all enjoy.

Also, we'll have an appearance from a new OC and another character that I'm sure we're all familiar with at this point.

Declaimer: Do you think I'd be writing this story if I owned the rights to The Hobbit and LOTR? No I wouldn't, which is why I'm writing this fanfic in the first place. I only own my OCs.

* * *

~*~Chapter 9~*~

If Silvia had thought Rivendell was pretty from a distance, then it was gorgeous up close in person. She couldn't help how she looked left and right at her new surroundings, taking in the beauty as they crossed a narrow bridge. Once across the Company stood on an almost circular platform as they placed some of their luggage on the ground; at first she thought Kili would let her down (she was even ready to do so willingly, too) but the dark haired Dwarf would have none of it. Looking ahead there were stairs leading further into Rivendell and saw a tall being with long dark hair descending down the steps with such grace as he approached them.

"Mithrandir." He said, his voice melodious sounding, causing Gandalf to turn and face him.

"Ah. Lindir." The Grey Wizard greeted.

Silvia watched as Gandalf interacted with the person in a beautiful language that seemed to flow like water. She glanced around at the Dwarves, noticing how they seemed to glare at the beautiful man before them. He couldn't be human, seeing as there was no way a human would be so beautiful and have…pointed ears…?

"What is he?" Silvia asked quietly.

"An Elf." Kili whispered, not bothering to hide the disgust he felt.

So this Lindir person was an Elf. Did they all look so beautiful and ethereal?

"I must speak with Lord Elrond." Gandalf said, no longer speaking in whatever language he and the Elf were talking in.

"My Lord Elrond is not here." Lindir told him.

"Not here? Where is he?"

Everyone suddenly turned around when the sound of horns pierced the air, and that was when they spotted the group of Elves atop horses that were approaching them. Thorin started yelling at everyone in a harsh language (she assumed it was Dwarvish from what she'd learned from Ori) and the Dwarves pulled out their weapons.

"Close ranks!" Thorin shouted.

Kili was still carrying her as they were shoved in the middle of all the Dwarves with Bilbo. No sooner had they done that the Elf riders began surrounding them, their mounts tall and imposing enough to intimidate Silvia from her current height level. If she'd been capable of standing on her own two feet she probably wouldn't be feeling like this. It was apparent that the Dwarves had some sort of animosity towards the Elves (from what Silvia had observed so far) as they all seemed to glare at the fair and graceful beings. And it didn't help that they were being overly protective of her and Bilbo at that moment. Despite her lack of knowledge when it came to this world Silvia got the feeling these Elves didn't mean them any harm. Eventually the horses stopped circling them.

"Gandalf." A regal Elf (that appeared to be the leader) greeted.

"Lord Elrond." Gandalf replied. He then said something to the Elf in that language.

It was at this point that the Elf known as Lord Elrond start speaking in that language, dismounting the horse he rode before hugging Gandalf.

"Strange for Orcs to come so close to our borders. Something or _someone_ has drawn them near." Lord Elrond said.

"Ah. That may have been us." Gandalf told him.

That was when Thorin took a step forward, catching Elrond's attention.

"Welcome, Thorin, son of Thrain." He greeted the Dwarf.

"I do not believe we have met." Thorin said.

"You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled Under the Mountain."

"Indeed? He made no mention of you."

Silvia's mouth fell open at this. Even if the Dwarves didn't like the Elves it didn't give them the excuse to be rude! And that comment was uncalled for! Elrond stared at Thorin (whether he was offended or not she couldn't tell) for a bit before speaking in that language.

"What is he saying?" Gloin demanded. "Does he offer us insult?"

"No, Master Gloin, he's offering you _food_." Gandalf stated, looking as exasperated as he sounded.

The Dwarves looked at one another hesitantly before quietly talking amongst each other, discussing what to do. Silvia let out a sigh, thinking that they were being a little ridiculous for having to discuss something as simple as food (and likely lounging). They didn't have a lot of supplies left after the ponies bolted when the Wargs attacked them (she did her best to suppress a shudder at the memory), so if the Elves were offering them food and rest she thought that the logical decision would be to accept, no questions asked. Eventually the Dwarves finished their discussion and turned to Elrond.

"Well…in that case, lead on." Gloin answered for everyone.

"Hey, come on." Bofur said.

Everyone started picking up their luggage and began ascending the stairs. Just as Kili was about to follow them Elrond had stopped them.

"What do you want?" Kili asked, sounding as if he were attempting to be courteous.

The others must've overhead since Silvia saw them turn around to see what was going on. She became anxious as she got the sneaking suspicion that there was going to be an incident.

"The woman you are carrying is in need of healing. Please allow me to tend to her injury." Elrond requested.

Kili took a step back when Elrond tried to approach and Silvia guessed that the Dwarf was probably glaring at the Elf.

"No. You can't have her." He growled, already given up on being polite.

The Dwarves that were still with them (and on the stairs) started protesting. Silvia was flattered that they wanted to protect her and all, but their stubbornness was already causing enough trouble as it was. She had to do something before things got out of hand.

"Kili." She said in an attempt to get the dark haired Dwarf's attention. It worked since he turned to face her, the expression on his face softening when he gazed at her. "Let him take me."

"But Silvia-!" He started to protest, his face showing concern.

"He won't hurt me. He doesn't seem like the type to do so."

Kili's face dropped and a frown replaced it.

"Looks can be deceiving."

Silvia sighed at this.

"If you don't trust him, trust me. Trust that I'm capable of making this one decision for myself. And if I run into any trouble I'll call for one of you."

Silvia stared at Kili whose eyebrows were furrowed as he regarded her. She was determined not to back down this time around. She was determine to prove to everyone that she wasn't the child they believed her to be. That she was capable of making decisions when the need occurred. She was surprised by her sudden determination and wondered where it came from, but it seemed to do the trick since Kili was the first to look away. She heard him let out a sigh.

"Just remember to call if you're in trouble." He muttered.

With that being said Silvia was transferred from Kili to Elrond, the Elf effortlessly carrying her in his arms as he made his way through pristine halls. She was surprised at how quiet his footsteps were and the fact how she could hardly feel his movements that she believed he was gliding rather than walking. It fascinated her yet at the same time unnerved her slightly with how….otherworldly they seemed.

"For one so young you have a gift when it comes to pacifying Dwarves." Elrond spoke.

"I've been around them long enough to know how they are, although they can be so stubborn at times." She replied.

"What I saw back there was not just stubbornness, Lady Silvia. They are extremely protective of you if the way they reacted was not proof enough."

"They've always been like that with me, and I know it's because Dwarves are protective of their women due to how scarce they are."

"That may be true, but to have such a bond so easily formed in the short amount of time you have spent in their company is no small feat. What you have accomplished is nothing short of extraordinary."

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"There is something about you that sets you apart from the rest of your race, something that draws others to yourself. What that is, I do not know. But do know that your bond at this point makes them consider you kin."

Silvia had a lot to think about thanks to what Elrond told her. The fact that she befriended the Dwarves in such a short time wasn't something that could normally be done by others. If that was the case how was she able to do so? What was it that made her capable of creating such bonds? Wasn't she just a normal human girl that the Company found? If she wasn't, what did that make her?

Silvia was so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't realized they had arrived at their destination until she found herself being placed on a bed by Elrond. She watched as the Elf went about the room retrieving some items before coming back to her. With such gentle hands (that surprised even her) he started feeling her ankle as he located the sprain. When he found it he opened a jar and lightly smeared a brownish green paste over it before placing his hands over it and started chanting in that language from earlier. That was when Silvia noticed a pleasant smell in the air and breathed in the scent. It smelled like…apples…and lavender. Was it from the past Elrond used? As he continued to chant a white light seemed to come from the Elf and she couldn't help but stare in awe at the sight. Was this magic? The light began to fade as Elrond finished chanting and that was when she noticed that her ankle felt completely fine when he removed his hands.

"How does your ankle feel?" Elrond asked.

Silvia tested out her ankle, moving it around just to make sure before a smile broke out on her face.

"It's like it was never injured." She answered. "Thank you."

"You are welcome, Lady Silvia." He smiled.

"What was that language you were speaking?"

"It is known as Elvish, the language of my people. Or to be more specific it is actually Sindarin, a variation of Elvish that is most commonly used in this day and age."

"It's a beautiful language. But what was the scent I smelled just a few seconds ago?"

"That would be from the paste I used made from Athelas, or Kingsfoil as it is commonly known as in Westron. It has a unique scent to each person who smells it. For one person it could smell like roses while to another it could be the scent of a spring morning. The healing properties of Athelas has been lost to many in this day and age, but has not been forgotten by the Elves and Rangers of the North. It is capable of being used to calm people or to heal one of evil or corruption that might poison the body and help to heal fatal injuries. Its affects are even more potent when used by Elves to aid in their healing magic."

"Is there a reason why you would tell me all this?" Silvia asked.

At this Elrond gave her a knowing look.

"What you do with this knowledge is up to you. But if ever a time comes when you would have need of it, you will know what to do."

At this time an Elvish woman came into the room with long brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a lilac colored dress. Silvia stared in awe at the beautiful woman as Elrond spoke to her in Elvish before she turned to face her. She gave her a warm smile before approaching the bed she sat on and held out a hand to her.

"Come with me." She requested, waiting patiently for her.

Silvia took the Elf woman's hand and was pulled up to her feet. She followed after her amazed at how graceful she was as she walked.

"What is your name, if you don't mind my asking?" Silvia asked.

"My name is Ithilwen, Lady Silvia." She replied.

"That's a beautiful name." Silvia then noticed that they were going a different direction than the one she and Elrond had come from when she left the Dwarves and became confused. "Where are we going?"

"I am taking you to the room you will be staying in to get cleaned and clothed." Ithilwen looked at her and watched as her gaze went over her. "It is a shame your dress is in such a state. I would have wanted to know who made it."

Silvia froze, an image coming to mind. She was kneeling down with a sewing needle in hand as she worked on an incomplete version of the light blue overdress she wore she wore. There was a sense of discretion as she worked quietly, yet at the same time she felt pleased with herself. All too quickly the image disappeared and she found Ithilwen standing before her waiting patiently.

"I think…I made this dress." She told the Elf.

"Then you certainly have an eye for detail." Ithilwen smiled.

Eventually they reached the room Ithilwen was talking about and Silvia was surprised by the sheer size of it. When she thought of the word bedroom she thought of a normal size room, not this huge room that could've fit the entire Company along with the ponies they'd lost and still have room for much more. The bed itself was quite large and looked so inviting with the amount of pillows (that were probably as soft as they appeared) piled at the head. There was a balcony that led outside and from where she stood Silvia could see a beautiful view of Rivendell, a nice breeze gently blowing into the room. Against the wall to her left was a wardrobe along with a door next to it.

Ithilwen took her hand before leading Silvia through the door next to the wardrobe where there was what resembled a large tub built into the ground, half submerged as the bottom half was designed to be built below the floor (almost like how a pool was made). The edges of the upper half were low enough to make it easy to get in and out of the tub, but high enough to prevent water from spilling out. She wondered just how deep I was as she stared at the water, steam rising from it to show it was warm.

Silvia was surprised when she felt Ithilwen's soft hands work to remove her dress (but was afraid she might offend the Elf if she were to protest) and she realized just what state her dress was in when she saw it. There were some minor tears here and there, but what was most noticeable was the black blood that stained the front along with the faded red of her own blood (from when the Dwarves had washed her dress after finding her) and mud. It made her sad to see it in such a state knowing there wasn't anything she could do about it at this point. Ithilwen placed a hand on her bare shoulder as she tried to comfort her.

"I know how you feel, Lady Silvia." She told her.

"What will I wear if my dress is in such a state?" Silvia asked.

"I already have one in mind for you. Now let us get you cleaned before dinner."

Ithilwen guided Silvia into the tub and she practically shivered when she felt the warm water on her skin. It turned out that the tub was built deep enough to allow the water to come up to her waist when she stood, and there was a ledge built around the inside of the bowl-like tub to allow one to sit down comfortably while they bathed. The Elf had her sit down on the ledge before kneeling down behind her. She could hear her humming a tune behind her and Silvia turned to see what Ithilwen was doing and saw that she was pouring some sort of thick liquid into her hand (that she noted smelled pleasantly sweet) before bringing her hands close to her. She blushed as the Elf started rubbing the substance into her skin, bubbles and suds forming from it mixing with the water she used to rinse her body off. When Ithilwen finished washing her body she poured water over Silvia's head a few times to get it soaked before gently taking her long black hair in her hands and scrubbing something into it. She slowly worked with getting rid of whatever tangles she encounter as she cleaned her hair.

"You don't have to call me 'Lady.'" Silvia spoke. "I mean, I'm not anyone of importance and you don't seem like you're that much older than I am."

At this Ithilwen stopped humming to laugh, the sound melodious to Silvia's ears.

"I can tell you have never seen any Elves before, let alone know much about them." Ithilwen told her. "I am far older than I appear, just like the rest of my kin."

"How old?"

"Thousands of years."

Silvia's eyes widened in shock as she did her best to look at Ithilwen.

"You don't look like it!"

"It is because Elves are immortal. We age differently than other races and when we have reached maturity we stop aging. We do not die unless it is from falling in battle or…other circumstances." Silvia picked up on the sad tone in Ithilwen's voice when she said the last part. "You remind me of my daughter. She was just as curious as you were at your age."

"Did something happen to her?" Silvia asked, picking up on Ithilwen's wording.

"She went to Mirkwood to learn more about healing a few hundred years back. She would always send her father and I letters telling us of her time there and what she would learned. But around 20 years ago the letters stopped coming and we feared something had happened. A letter then came telling us that she had gone missing and even to this day they still cannot find her. My husband was so distraught that I almost lost him to grief, but in the end he sailed to the West to Valinor."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Ithilwen. It must be painful being reminded of something so sad. If I'm correct to assuming, then this must've been quite recent in your long lifespan."

"You need not pity me. I do not deny that my heart is still heavy from losing my daughter, but I know she would not want me to continue grieving. And you are right to assume so since compared to Elves, the lifespan of Men is but a moment in our lives."

When Silvia was cleaned and dried, Ithilwen guided her back into the bedroom and she shivered when the cold air came in contact with her skin. The Elf woman helped her into a lavender colored dress with long flowing sleeves and a skirt that pooled at her feet despite fitting her frame. Silvia couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful dress and spun around in a circle to watch the skirt flow.

"You are so child-like!" Ithilwen laughed, having watched Silvia.

Silvia looked up at Ithilwen and was unable to hold back the huge smile that broke out on her face.

"It's such a beautiful dress!" She exclaimed excitedly. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before."

"And that is only one of many you will be wearing during your stay. Come, let me do your hair."

Silvia listened and sat down before a mirror. She was surprised to see her own reflection as Ithilwen ran a brush through her hair and occasionally working out any knots with gentle fingers. She knew she'd seen the sketches Ori drew of her, but it did nothing to prepare her for the face staring back at her. Her face was cleaned of the dirt and grim that had accumulated on her pale skin from the days she'd spent traveling with the Company along with their encounters with the Trolls, Wargs, and Orcs. When was the last time she'd had a proper bath? It must've been before she got amnesia since she couldn't remember.

Ithilwen soon finished with Silvia's hair and before she knew it she found herself following the Elf woman down a hallway. As they got closer to their destination she could hear the sound of soothing music being played.

"I hear music." Silvia said.

"That is where we are headed to eat. The companions you have traveled with are waiting for you." Ithilwen told her.

"Will I see you again?" She turned to the Elf.

"You will see me tonight when I will be helping you prepare for tonight's events." Ithilwen then gave Silvia a gentle nudge forward. "Now go on and join your companions."

Silvia suddenly felt nervous as she followed the music to a large open balcony where she found the majority of the Dwarves sitting at two separate tables. At the table on the left (and in order going around the table) sat Balin, Bilbo, Fili, Bombur (who had a seat at the end due to his size), Dori, Ori, and then Gloin. At the other table on the right Nori, Dwalin, and Oin sat on one side while Bofur, Kili, and Bifur sat on the other side. Between the two tables was a lone pedestal situated, placed there as if to provide a place for a lamp or candle in the case a source of light was needed at night. She also noticed that there was a round table with three chairs that was unoccupied.

From what she could see of everyone so far her companions appeared that they've had the chance to clean up of all the grim that had been on their skin, as well as having shed some layers of clothing (such as coats, cloaks, and armor) in order to be comfortable.

At the moment all of the Dwarves were examining the food with looks of disappointment and disgust. Bilbo on the other hand didn't seem to mind the food selection and happily enjoyed the food that was offered to them. She spotted some Elves playing music off to the side which put her mind at ease as she listened to it.

"Try it. Just a _mouthful_." She heard Dori urge his younger brother, who held a piece of green lettuce.

"I don't like green food." Ori said, shaking his head and sounding as if his mother was forcing him to eat his greens—

Oh.

Well, the scene before her really _did _look like that as far as the Dwarves were concerned.

"Where's the meat?" Dwalin demanded, searching the bowl of salad in front of him.

To Dwalin's left Oin picked up what appeared to be a mushroom which he seemed to glower at with disdain.

"Have they got any chips?" Ori ask, turning to Gloin who sat on his left.

It was as she approached the table that Ori suddenly spotted her and stared, followed by the Dwarves and one Hobbit facing her direction noticing her as well. Soon she had 13 pairs of eyes staring straight at her, causing her to shift uncomfortably from the attention as she suddenly feeling self-conscious. Normally she would've laughed when she saw one of the Dwarves drop a fork, but given the current situation that didn't happen. Was it really strange to see her wearing something else besides her usual dress?

'_Okay, somebody start talking._' She thought awkwardly. '_I don't care who, just say something._'

As if her prayers were answered Bofur was the first to speak.

"Well if it isn't Lady Silvia!" He exclaimed, a huge grin on his face. "We were wondering if you'd somehow got lost, but I see we had no need to worry. And might I saw you clean up very nicely, am I right lads?"

Silvia was surprised by the Dwarves quietly agreeing with each other and blushed at hearing their compliments.

"Thanks." She said quietly.

"Oh, don't be shy, lass! Come join us!"

Before Silvia could protest she found herself being escorted (more like dragged) over to the table on the right where she found herself seated at the end between Bifur (who was on her right) and Nori (who was to her left); with the place she was seated currently at, the two separate tables mirrored each other. She looked at the food on the table and noticed how it was all green (which would explain why Dwalin was complaining about there not being any meat), fruits and salad and what appeared to be wraps were laid out on the table with goblets filled with some sort of dark reddish beverage.

Silvia's stomach growled in hunger, knowing that the last time she (and everyone else) ate was the meal they had before the incident with the Trolls. She blushed when the Dwarves started laughing since they had heard the sound. Without thinking she picked up a fork before jabbing it into the salad in front of her before taking a bite. The Dwarves suddenly stopped laughing at her and she looked around to see them staring at her with wide eyes.

"What?" She asked after swallowing.

"You're eating rabbit food." Dwalin told her.

At first Silvia was confused by what Dwalin meant by 'rabbit food' but soon realized he meant the salad she was eating or greens.

"…So?"

Apparently she didn't understand what the issue was since he groaned.

"We don't _eat_ rabbit food."

"If you don't like eating green food try some fruit. There's plenty of it here and I know for a fact you all do eat fruit."

Silvia grabbed the goblet in front of her and took a sip, only to pull it away when she started choking at the burning sensation from the liquid going down the wrong way. She felt a hand pounding on her back to help her recover and eventually she was left taking a few deep breaths after getting over her coughing fit. She gave a weak smile to Nori who had been the one patting her back.

"Thanks, Nori." She said. She had the aftertaste of the sweet and bitter beverage on her tongue. "What was that stuff?"

"That would be wine." Nori answered.

"Elvish wine to be specific." Fili added from where he sat at the other table, leaning over to give` her a charming smile. "It would seem the lass has never had drink before, let alone wine."

The Dwarves chuckled at Silvia's expense. She attempted to drink the wine again, this time going slower since she knew what to expect this time. It wasn't so bad once she got passed the bitter taste (which took a bit of time on her part) and the burning sensation as it slid down her throat.

"Careful! That stuff's a bit more potent than regular wine or beer." He warned her.

At his warning Silvia stopped drinking and placed the goblet back on the table. It was best to listen to the Dwarves seeing as they knew what they were talking about. For all she knew she'd probably never drank anything alcoholic until now.

"Kind of you to invite us." Silvia turned around when she heard the familiar voice to find Gandalf and Thorin (who had shed his own coat) following Elrond into the area, along with the Elf Lindir. "Not really dressed for dinner."

"Well, you never are." Elrond commented, causing the Grey Wizard to chuckle.

The four climbed up the steps and made their way to the unoccupied round table that Silvia had spotted earlier. Elrond sat at what appeared to be the head of the table (along with Lindir who stood next to him dutifully) while to his right sat Gandalf and to his left sat Thorin.

As she continued to eat Silvia noticed Kili staring intently at something—to his right Bofur was frowning as he glanced from Kili's face to whatever he was looking at-and looked over her shoulder to her left to see what he'd been staring at. She spotted a she-Elf playing a large harp with such concentration on the music she played as she plucked the strings. Silvia turned around in time to see the dark haired Dwarf grin before winking. She saw the look of disapproval on Dwalin's face and Kili noticed it too when he turned to face forward, his grin suddenly dropping from being caught.

"I can't say I fancy Elf maids myself, too thin. They're all high cheekbones and creamy skin." Kili started, turning to look at Bofur who smiled and nodded in agreement. "Not enough facial hair for me." He then faced forward, lowering his voice as he subtly motioned to the Elf behind him. "Although…that one there is not bad."

Kili then turned to face the Elf he was talking about and Silvia glanced over as well. Wait a second… Was that a-?

"That's not an Elf maid." Dwalin stated.

She found herself struggling to hold back her laughter when the Elf turned around, revealing it to be a _male_ Elf playing a miniature harp. She saw the shocked look on Kili's face when he turned back to face Dwalin who gave him a wink. And that was when Silvia started laughing with the others as they soon joined in. She watched him helplessly look at everyone, his face red in embarrassment before nodding his head humorlessly.

"That's funny." He grumbled sarcastically, not sounding at all amused. His brown eyes swept over to hers and she tried to hide her laughter behind a hand she'd placed over her mouth in an attempt to stifle it. "Not you too, Silvia!"

"Sorry, sorry!" She said, trying to calm her laughter.

Kili gave an exasperate sigh before looked down at his food, moving it around with his fork. Silvia stopped laughing at this and started thinking she might've done something to offend the dark haired Dwarf. She suddenly became worried. Maybe she _had _offended him or hurt his feelings by laughing at him. She hadn't meant to!

"Change the tune, why don't you? I feel like I'm at a funeral." Nori suddenly said.

"Did somebody die?" Oin asked, looking around for a dead person that wasn't there.

Did they mean the music?

"All right lads. There's only one thing for it." Bofur said.

Suddenly Bofur stood up from the table and climbed on top of the pedestal located between the two tables the majority of the Company occupied. This served to get everyone's attention and the Elves stopped playing their instruments. It was then that Silvia noticed Thorin standing off to the side near the other table as he watched.

_There's an inn, there's an inn, there's a merry old inn  
__Beneath an old grey hill,  
__And there they brew a beer so brown  
__The Man in the Moon himself came down  
__One night to drink his fill._

Bofur was singing while dancing on top of the pedestal, looking as if he were really enjoying himself in the moment. At this point the rest of the Dwarves started joining in, banging their fists and silverware on the table and clapping to add a beat as they sang. Even Thorin joined in as he danced in place. Out of nowhere the Dwarves started throwing food around as they obviously got excited.

_Oh, the ostler has a tipsy cat  
__Who played a five-stringed fiddle;  
__And up and down he saws his bow  
__Now squeaking high, now purring low,  
__Now sawing in the middle._

As this was going on the Elves gave each other looks as they watched the Dwarves' strange antics. Then again, they were throwing food around and it was getting all over the place in the process. They didn't look amused at all.

_So the cat on the fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle,  
__A drink that would wake the dead:  
__He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,  
__And the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:  
_'_It's after three!' he said._

By the time Bofur finished singing the food throwing had gotten out of hand as the Dwarves tossed food this way and that, all the while laughing and cheering as they did so. Glancing around the area she saw how some of the Elves looked mortified at the mess and in a way she couldn't blame them for feeling that way. Silvia's attention was drawn to the piece of food Kili threw in Lindir's direction, which hit the statue to the Elf's right. He turned reluctantly to look at the damage with a look that was a cross between fear and disgust, only to look as if he were about to have a heart attack at that very moment.

'_Poor guy._' She thought.

Suddenly something slammed into Silvia's face and splattered all over her front and the Dwarves became quiet when this happened (and everything was so deathly quiet too). She used her hands to wipe the food out of her eyes and realized that it was cake when she opened her eyes to glance down at it. Looking up and glancing around she found them staring at her apprehensively, as if bracing themselves for whatever reaction they were expecting from her. She noticed the horrified look on Kili's face and seeing how guilty he looked she assumed he'd been the one to do it.

"…Are you okay, Lady Silvia?" Fili asked quietly, sounding very reluctantly to break the silence.

However the blonde haired Dwarf's brother was a different matter since he bolted out of his seat and made a mad dash over to her.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!" Kili started apologizing profusely, looking very frantic as he did so. "I swear it was an accident!"

Silvia stared at him, watching as he continued fumbling over words. He didn't even notice her scooping up some of the cake and icing from her dress and it wasn't until she smeared it on his face that he stopped talking. Kili stared at her in shock by her actions and she suddenly started laughing, not because of what she did but at the fact that he was making such a big deal about accidentally throwing food at her. Soon enough he started laughing with her along with the others, some of them relieved by her reaction (or the lack of the one they assumed she'd have).

* * *

After having eaten Silvia had decided she wanted to explore Rivendell, much to the Dwarves' dismay. Regardless of their protests she found herself wandering through halls with no destination in mind. She soon came across a garden of sorts with beautiful flowers and a small fountain. As she was looking at the flowers she suddenly spotted an Elf sitting on a stone bench, her attention on the book she held in her hands. Long black hair fell over her shoulders as she read while a pretty silver pendant hung from her neck. Silvia stared at the beautiful Elf and thought it was best not to disturb her before deciding to walk away.

"There is no need to leave on my account."

Silvia stopped in place before turning around to find blue eyes gazing at her. She felt nervous as the she-Elf seemed to look her over, only to give her a warm smile as if sensing her emotions.

"I was just finishing up a paragraph when you came along." The Elf told her before closing her book. She then patted the empty spot beside her. "Come sit with me. You have nothing to fear."

Slowly Silvia approached the bench all the while being mindful of the long skirt of her dress as she tried not to trip over it. As she got closer she noticed how inviting the Elf's presence was before sitting beside her. The older woman gave her a friendly smile as she gazed down at Silvia, making her feel better in the Elf's company.

"You arrived with the others that are visiting here?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"I'm under the impression that everyone knows about that." Silvia commented.

"News travels fast around Rivendell, Lady Silvia. Especially what you did after one of the Dwarves accidentally threw some cake at you."

Silvia blushed, embarrassed that the rest of the Elves in Rivendell knew about that even though it occurred not that long ago.

"You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"Forgive me. I am Arwen, daughter of Elrond."

Her eyes widened at this. This was Elrond's daughter! Silvia quickly got up and did a bit of a curtsy.

"I'm so sorry, Lady Arwen. I didn't know." Silvia apologized, feeling flustered.

At this Arwen laughed, the sound melodious (as it seemed to be the case with all Elves) to her ears.

"You need not be so formal with me, young one. I merely wish to converse with you."

Silvia sat back down on the bench. Like with Ithilwen, she found that she liked Arwen as well. They were both so inviting and warm that she thought it would be a crime not to like them.

"So Lord Elrond is your father. Are you his only child?"

"I am not. I have two older brothers by the names of Elladan and Elrohir. You may run across them tonight during the festivities."

"Ithilwen told me about tonight, but I didn't know it was going to be some festival. Will you be going?"

"Yes. It would be a wonderful thing for you to experience."

"The Dwarves wouldn't be so keen about attending." Silvia sighed.

"How did you meet them?"

"Technically they found me while they were traveling. I haven't even known them for that long."

"And what about before then?"

"I don't remember." Silvia looked down at her lap. "It turns out I have amnesia. I was injured when they found me and I've been with them ever since trying to help them in whatever way I can."

Arwen was quiet and Silvia wondered what she was probably thinking.

"No wonder the Dwarves are so protective of you. They are so willing to keep you safe."

"I wish I could do more for them after what happened today."

"I am sure you will be given the chance in due time." Arwen then got up before turning to Silvia. "It would be wise for us to get ourselves ready for tonight. I have no doubt Ithilwen is searching for you."

* * *

ATE: Time to explain myself.

(1) Elvish: Since this is the first time Silvia has been exposed to a new language (or two if you count the Dwarvish or Khuzdul as it's actually called) I won't bother putting up any translations since I want her to feel the effect that she's in an unfamiliar world and that there will be language barriers involved as she grows accustom to Middle Earth. So for the sake of the story (and my talent of butchering a language by using improper grammar; I will not ruin the Elvish langauge Tolkien worked hard to create and I don't exactly have the time and patience to learn a new language since learning such things were never my forte) I won't write any dialogue in Elvish or will I provide translations.

(2) Elrond: Okay, I know that many (and by 'many' I mean a good countless number) of fanfic writers will use Elrond the heal the OC if she's injured, and I'm just as guilty of using this troupe as well. But I have a good reason for this: I wanted him to be the one to introduce Silvia to the Elves without the Dwarves interfering with their opinions and giving her the wrong impression of a new race she's just encountering for the first time. The other reason leads directly into my next point.

(3) Athelas (AKA Kingsfoil): By this point in time I believe we all know what Athelas is and it's properties. I did my best to research this plant on both the LOTR wiki as well as tolkiengateway for information, especially the scent it gives off to certain individuals when dried and crushed in hot water (refer to the Athelas page at tolkiengateway for more details and then you'll understand where I'm coming from with this), though in this story Silvia encounters the scent unique to her own person even though it wasn't dried or crushed in hot water. However, I decided to add an additional take on the plant by writing the bit where Elrond tells Silvia that Athelas can "heal one of evil or corruption that might poison the body and help to heal fatal injuries" since we all know what happens in Desolation of Smaug. I wanted Elrond to be the one to teach Silvia about Athelas because of this.

(4) Ithilwen: My new OC Ithilwen. Originally she wasn't planned, but when I was first writing this part on paper last month she ended up creating herself. In fact when she first came into being she wasn't going to play a big part as she'll end up playing in the next few chapters. Plus I thought that Silvia could use someone a female character to talk to seeing as up until this point she's been surrounded by a bunch of guys.

(5) "We don't _eat_ rabbit food.": This was a part that ended up writing itself out without any intention on my part. And the best part was that my roommate thought that this part was _actually _in the movie (she'd only watched it once when I got her and her fiance to watch a month ago in our room). Her reaction was hilarious when I told her that the dialogue from this part wasn't in the movie, but I told her that when I write the characters I go by the logic of "If you can imagine them saying or doing it, then they probably can and will." This thought has helped me out in the past when it comes to writing characters realistically and I'm sure you all can share this sentiment. Still, I can imagine Dwalin saying this. ALSO, unlike 13 certain vertically challenged people, eat your veggies! They ARE good for you after all and there was a perfectly good reason for our parents making us eat them.

(6) Arwen: I think all of us were hoping to see Arwen in The Hobbit and I can remember how disappointed I was that she wasn't in the first movie. So I chose to add her into the story to add to Silvia's experience of Elves. I think I did a decent job of writing her, but in the end the readers are the ultimate judge when it comes to such things, so I'll let you all tell me how I did.

Seeing as in the book the Company stayed for more than a day or two (if you go by the extended version of the movie), I wanted them to stay in Rivendell for longer so I made it to them staying there for about three days. So expect the next few chapters to be considered fillers for the most part (it won't be until chapter 12 that we'll cover bits from the movie).

Now I gotta add this: since I've introduced a new OC and Silvia's new dress, I've already gone ahead and posted the images on my DeviantArt account. Just look under Aerith-The-Evenstar and you'll find them (and a few other things I've been working on as well).

That's it for this week. Next week we'll have more filler and Silvia will meet a certain pair of twins. Don't be afraid to ask any questions concerning this chapter (or the story in general) and please remember to review. ;D


	11. Elbereth Githoniel

ATE: Hey everyone! I bet you weren't expecting me to update so soon today, did you? The reason for this is because today was teacher work day so I got the day off today from class. Thanks go out to **1loveluffy**, **Boston Rider**, and **Lelleg** for their reviews from the last chapter, and of course I can't forget those still reading! Can't really think of anything else to say, so enjoy!

Declaimer: Don't own The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings. Never have, never will. I only have ownership of my OCs that appear in this story.

* * *

~*~Chapter 10~*~

Arwen had been right about Ithilwen looking for Silvia since they ran into her in the halls. She'd been surprised about how late it had gotten while she'd been conversing in the garden. Ithilwen had rushed Silvia back to her room and no sooner had they arrived the she-Elf got down to business getting her ready for tonight. By the time she finished Silvia found herself wearing a pretty white gown with sleeves that weren't as wide and long as the pale purple dress she wore. The skirt was wider as it flowed down from her hips due to the slight train behind her. Ithilwen soon ushered her out of the room when she deemed Silvia ready before escorting her to wherever the festival was taking place, the moon and stars giving Rivendell an heavenly appearance that made her wonder if she was in a dream.

Silvia was amazed at how the Elves seemed to softly glow in the moonlight as they all gathered in a large clearing, dancing and talking to each other lively. Their voices were beautiful and enchanting as some of them sang in Elvish. She smiled when she spotted Bilbo talking with some Elves, looking child-like in size compared to them as he listened eagerly to every word they spoke to him. He looked like he was thoroughly enjoying his time and she thought she would join him, only to be stopped when someone grasped her wrist. Silvia turned around to see who it was and found two identical Elves standing before her, both having dark hair and grey eyes. One of them wore dark green robes while the other wore a dark blue version. She noticed how they resembled Elrond and realized these two must've been Arwen's older brothers she'd told her about.

"Good evening, milady." They said at once, both giving her a slight bow.

Silvia was confused when they each took one of her hands but soon found herself blushing when they placed a light kiss to the back of her hands. She pulled her hands close to herself as soon as they let go which caused them to smirk at her reaction.

"L-likewise." She managed to get out. "You two must be Elladan and Elrohir."

"So you have heard of use then." The one wearing dark green said.

"Lady Arwen told me about you two. So who is who?"

"I am Elladan."

"And I am Elrohir." The one in dark blue added.

"It's a good thing you're both wearing different colors or I might've gotten you two mixed up."

"We would have, but Father would not allow it." Elladan explained. "He did not want us confusing our guests, though it would seem luck is on our side since the Dwarves have not shown up."

"It is a shame you had to travel with them, let alone put up with their…antics." Elrohir said the last bit as if he'd been forced to eat something he didn't like.

Silvia frowned a bit at this, not liking how Elladan and Elrohir were talking about the Dwarves as if they were something they had to tolerate. Then again the Dwarves didn't like the Elves either.

"I would ask that you refrain your words. They are my friends and I wouldn't want anything ill spoken against them."

Elladan and Elrohir looked at each other before turning to her.

"If that is what you wish we will refrain from speaking ill of your companions."

"To make up for our transgressions we would like to offer you a dance each."

Silvia tensed up as she began to feel somewhat anxious.

"I-I don't know how to dance." She stammered, her face heating up.

"Nonsense! Surely you have learned how to do something as simple as dancing."

"If I had I don't remember." She muttered.

Apparently Elves had good hearing since the two Elves grinned as if she had spoken clearly.

"Then allow us to help you remember."

* * *

He sat near the edge of the balcony (it was more like a platform since it lacked any railing of sorts) in the room the Dwarves chose to camp out in (even though the Elves had provided them with rooms or their own) during their stay. He could hear the others talking and laughing with each other, the glow of the fire made from one of the wooden chairs in the room providing warmth as they cooked some meat (thank Mahal!). He had eaten his fill and was smoking his pipe as he relaxed, silently watching the festivities in the clearing below filled with Elves along with a few others that sat down to observe as well. Of course they didn't go; what Dwarf in their right mind would do such a thing to begin with?

But his attention wasn't focused on the Elves.

Instead it was the young woman dancing among their glowing forms.

She was wearing a white gown that flowed and fluttered around her form as she twirled and danced around, and he could only imagine the smile that lit her face up at that moment. He knew she wasn't an Elf but she could've almost passed as one (especially when he first saw her in that lavender dress earlier that day) if she'd had their features such as the immortal beauty they were known for (that only improved as they aged) and the ears. Despite all this he couldn't deny her beauty.

He remembered the annoyance he felt when he'd witness the two identical Elves talking to her, having tighten his hold on his pipe when they'd kissed her hands. Whatever their real intentions were, he knew Silvia would be oblivious to what they were. He would've been down there if it weren't for his stubbornness and pride as a Dwarf. He would've been the one to dance with her, to fully appreciate her beauty as he gazed upon her up close and see her smile in happiness.

But alas he was up here smoking a pipe as he could do nothing more than watch the lass from afar.

He was more than glad when she managed to get away from the two Elves in order to dance alone to the music being played below. He could faintly see the smile on her face when she briefly turned in his direction, a faint smile gracing his lips at her innocence. She was precious, he mused, precious as the mithril the Dwarves had once mined in Khazad-dûm back when their ancestors still occupied the place and possibly just as valuable to the Company as well.

It was a wonder how this daughter of Men had managed to worm her way into all their hearts in such a short time but she had pulled it off. And with the state her mind was in her child-like demeanor had only made the process that much easier for her.

It had pulled at their heartstrings to see her so frightened when she had her near death encounter with a Warg earlier that day and twisted her ankle trying to get away. To see how confused she'd been about what happened until she found the black blood on herself and registered that she would've died if they hadn't killed the beast when they did. She'd been so shaken up, like a child having woken up from the most horrifying nightmare in their life; they wished they could've taken her off to the side and told her that it'd all been a nightmare, but the truth was they couldn't. They couldn't brush off her experience as merely a nightmare. With the world being a strange and unknown place to the amnesic woman they couldn't continue to shelter her much longer even if they wanted to. She'd willingly agreed to join the Company on their journey to the Lonely Mountain and sooner or later she'd have to learn about the world anew. And from what he knew of her so far Silvia wasn't likely to leave their group because of a close encounter with death.

Because she was one of them now.

And he didn't trust the Elves enough if they ultimately decided to leave her in Rivendell, even if it meant she'd be safe.

Even if she wasn't like mithril or all the precious gems in the world, she was their treasure. For she had won them over with her kind heart. Pure and innocent and irreplaceable.

'_Yes_.' He thought, taking a drag out of his pipe. '_She is our treasure. Our precious treasure._'

* * *

Silvia was more than glad to get away from Elladan and Elrohir when she did, more because of the questions about herself she couldn't answer than how uncomfortable she'd been around them. The attention they'd been giving her made her feel suffocated which was why she didn't regret losing them. But dancing by herself in that clearing was so surreal and yet she felt joy from the sense of freedom she received as a result.

At one point she encountered Arwen off to the side watching the Elves singing and dancing, a look of longing on her face as she held a goblet in her slender fingers. She wore an extravagant gown that was fit for royalty (and in a sense the she-Elf was considered such), the color of it being a light green. As she gazed up at the Elf Silvia couldn't help but think how angelic Arwen looked as she glowed in the moonlight.

"Why do you look sad?" She asked, approaching Arwen.

Arwen turned to Silvia, giving her a sad smile.

"I see how happy everyone here is, but I can't help but feel sorrow knowing the fate that is to come for my kin." She answered.

"And what would that be?"

"The age of Elves is coming to an end, which is why some of us have started leaving for Valinor. At this time the progress of our departure is a slow, but as the Third Age draws to close more and more of us will be leaving and eventually even Rivendell will be emptied."

Silvia observed Arwen, hearing the sad tone of her voice.

"So you can't just stay?"

"We could but it would only serve to prolong the inevitable. There are some Elves that have the option to choose a immortal or mortal life but they are few. My father, along with my brothers and myself, have such a choice."

"You and your family have such a choice?" Silvia was surprised by this. "If you have a choice between being mortal and immortal do you know what you would choose?"

Arwen smiled at her, as if knowing something.

"I believe I know my choice, but I feel that it is bound to change at some point in time."

Silvia couldn't help feeling a sense of sadness at this. True, she had just met Arwen not that long ago but already she considered her a good friend that she was able to talk to, just like with Ithilwen. Strangely enough the she-Elf seemed to pick up on Silvia's thoughts since she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Do not feel sad. You are still young and have much to live for, so much to experience. There is already a path laid out before your feet that you must take now."

"If that's so then where do I start?" Silvia asked.

"Your path began when your companions first found you. Your heart will know the way. But for now enjoy what tonight has to offer you."

Silvia eventually found herself sitting down beside Bilbo, each with a goblet of Elvish wine in hand as they talked to each other. She couldn't help but smile as the Hobbit talked animatedly about the Elves and what he'd heard from them thus far. She got the feeling he might've drank more than one goblet of the Elvish wine since he wasn't usually this lively or at ease with himself as he was at that moment.

Suddenly everyone became quiet and Silvia looked up to see what was going on. Everyone had stopped dancing to look at the stage set up and she stood to see Ithilwen on stage alone. At first she wondered what she was doing, but then she started singing in Elvish with no music to accompany her. Her voice was hauntingly beautiful and sad, as if singing mournfully for something she lost and longed to regain. Silvia assumed she was thinking of her daughter and husband as she sang, making her want to reach out and comfort the sad she-Elf. If only she knew the meaning behind the Elvish words being sung.

Silvia noticed something out of the corner of her eye and turned to see a beautiful Elvish woman standing a ways away from the rest of the Elves. She had long blonde hair that trailed behind her like a long gown that pooled at on the ground, a gleaming silver crown atop her head. Her gown was white with light blue long sleeves that flowed from her arms, the fabric of the entire outfit seeming almost transparent. Her form glowed brighter than all the other Elves, as if she were a star herself, but not bright enough to hide her appearance. Despite how bright her light was no one seemed to notice she was there.

"Bilbo!" Silvia whispered, nudging the Hobbit. "Bilbo, do you see that?"

"See what?" Bilbo asked, having lowered his voice.

"That Elf over there."

"Where?"

Silvia started getting somewhat frustrated that Bilbo couldn't' see the Elf glowing brightly. She went as far as to grab his arm (he let out a quiet yelp when she did) and pointed it in the direction the Elf was in.

"Over there!"

Bilbo looked bewildered as he stared at the spot Silvia had his hand pointing at, blinking a few times as if to make sure he was seeing the right way. He furrowed his eyebrows and squinted a bit.

"I don't see anything." He told her after awhile, turning to face her with a confused expression. "What am I looking for?"

"What? You don't' see the Elf glowing brighter than the others?"

"No. Maybe you've had too much Elvish wine and are seeing things. I've heard that's stuff stronger than normal wine."

Silvia's face paled, suddenly feeling anxious. No one could see the Elf she was talking about, and yet she could. She hadn't even finished her goblet of Elvish wine and Bilbo thought she was seeing thing? Was she seeing things?

Suddenly the Elf woman turned to face Silvia, her clear eyes seeming to glow as she gazed straight at her. She seemed to be waiting for something or someone. She looked around her before reluctantly pointing a finger to herself in question. The Elf woman smiled at this as if telling Silvia she was correct before turning around and gracefully walking off, her long hair dragging along the ground behind her with the long trail of her gown. Silvia hurried after the Elf woman, trying to keep up as the glowing being glided through the halls like an ethereal spirit or angel. She didn't know where this woman was taking her, but after awhile she followed her up a long flight of stairs twisting around the corner as it wrapped around the side of a tower. It eventually led outside where the stairs continued going higher up, but there was no sign of the Elf woman she'd been following. Silvia was greatly bewildered by this as she searched frantically for the Elf before suddenly feeling uneasy if not disturbed by her sudden disappearance. Where did she go? Maybe she shouldn't have left. She probably wasn't supposed to be here.

_{Come.}_

Silvia froze, her heart beating loudly in her chest as her eyes widened in fear. Where did that voice come from?

_{Do not be frightened, Silvia.}_ The voice of a woman told her. Was it the Elf she'd been following? _{Continue following the steps to the top, where I will be waiting.}_

Silvia took a deep breath in order to calm her nerves before cautiously following the stairs up. If the voice was right then the Elf woman she'd been following was most likely at the top. She became more anxious the higher she went, not sure what she'd find at the end. Eventually she reached the top and she did find an Elf woman, but not the one she'd been following earlier.

This Elf woman's appearance was very similar to the one she'd followed, but with a few minor differences. Her blonde hair flowed down her back like a river of golden waves, reaching past her waist while a silver circlet was set on her head. Her gown was purely white with transparent long white sleeves that showed off her fair skinned arms. Looking into the woman's deep blue eyes she could see what appeared to be stars dotting around the pupils, appearing to be older and wiser than even Elrond despite her youthful appearance. This woman was so ethereal and beautiful that she believed her to be more beautiful than Arwen, if not the most beautiful in the world, rivaled by none.

Silvia suddenly felt intimidated by this beautiful woman, not because of her appearance but because of the powerful presence she had that even the younger woman could sense from where she stood. The Elf woman gazed at Silvia, her eyes all-knowing and reading her as if she were a book laid open before her. She then smiled as if to invite her closer.

_{Because I am.}_

Silvia jumped in surprised, not having expected the voice to return.

"W-was that you?" Silvia asked quietly. And can you read minds, she added silently.

"It was I. And I am capable of reading your mind as well." The Elf answered, the voice being the same one she heard in her head.

"How do you know who I am when I've never met you?"

"I know a lot more about you than you realize, as well as many things when it comes to this world. You are right to consider me all-knowing."

"May I ask your name?"

"It is only fair that you know my name, for I know yours. I am Galadriel, Lady of Lórien."

Silvia might not have known who Galadriel was but she got the feeling the Elf was very important. She took a deep breath before speaking.

"I…saw a woman who closely resembled you, yet at the same time she didn't. She glowed…like a star but not as bright. In fact I followed her here and found you instead."

Galadriel smiled knowingly at this before slowly approaching Silvia.

"The Valar work in mysterious ways. Tell me…what do you know of Elbereth Gilthoniel?"

By this point the Elf stood within reaching distance and she resisted the urge to take a step back.

"If what you told me is true then you would know my knowledge of this world is quiet limited at best."

"Indeed it is." Galadriel placed a hand on her back before gently guiding her towards one of the chairs at the table located in the center of the platform. "I believe you remember the song Ithilwen sang not that long ago. You wished to know what the words meant in the common tongue."

"O-of course."

The Elf smiled down at her before she opened her mouth.

_Snow-white! Snow-white! O Lady clear!  
__O Queen beyond the Western Seas!  
__O light to us that wander here  
__Amid the world of woven trees!_

_Gilthoniel! O Elbereth!  
__Clear are thy eyes and bright thy breath!  
__Snow-white! Snow-white! We sing to thee  
__In a far land beyond the sea._

_O Stars that in the Sunless Year  
__With shining hand by her were sown,  
__In windy fields now bright and clear  
__We see you silver blossom blown!_

_O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!  
__We still remember, we who dwell  
__In this far land beneath the trees,  
__Thy starlight on the Western Seas._

Galadriel soon finished the song and Silvia stared. Those were the words to the song Ithilwen sang?

"Who is Elbereth Gilthoniel?" Silvia asked.

"She is one of the Valar known as Varda. All light in this world such as the sun, moon, and stars were created by her. The woman you encountered was her."

Silvia's eyes widened in surprise, having lost the ability to speak as she tried to voice her thoughts. Eventually she managed to find her voice.

"Y-you're telling me that I followed a god or goddess of this world here?"

"She led you here, knowing you would have need of me."

"Need of what?"

"Answers."

_{You are not what you seem, Silvia. You appear to be of the race of Men, but you are much, much more.} _Galadriel spoke telepathically.

'_What do you mean?_' Silvia asked.

_{Your mother, Merildis, was an Elf. 20 years ago she disappeared from this world, only to reappear in the distant future. It was there she married a man called Richard, your father.}_

Silvia took a sharp breath, not expecting to hear this. Her mother was an Elf…and her father a human? Did that mean she was…half Elf?"

_{In a way you are. Though the only things you inherited from your mother's Elvish blood are our beauty and a longer lifespan. It is because of your father's side being more dominant that you appear to be of the race of Men.}_

Silvia remembered that Galadriel mentioned her mother having disappeared from this age 20 years ago and her eyes widened in shock.

'_My mother, Merildis, is Ithilwen's daughter!_' She exclaimed, getting up from her seat before making her way to the stairs. '_I have to tell her!_'

"It would not be wise to tell her, Silvia." Galadriel spoke aloud.

Silvia stopped short of the steps and turned to face the she-Elf.

"Why? She deserves to know what happened to her daughter."

"She may deserve to know the truth but it is not the right time to do so, for she is still grieving. Do not reveal your relation to her because it will cause her to worry over your safety when the time comes for you to continue your journey with your companions."

Silvia wanted to argue with Galadriel but she couldn't find it in herself to do so since the she-Elf made a valid point. She averted her eyes, feeling stupid for being reckless and wanting to tell Ithilwen the truth when it would only cause more harm than good. At least Galadriel prevented her from making a mistake she knew she'd regret.

"Do not fret." Galadriel told her, having picked up on her thoughts. "Your intentions were pure and good for wanting to do the right thing. That is one of the many things the Dwarves value you for."

"I wish I could do more for them than be valued for my kindness. Every time we've run into trouble they're forced to protect me because I don't know how to defend myself. After what happened today with the Warg…"

Silvia stopped as she was reminded of what happened. And then there was that woman she saw when she started panicking. Who was she and why did she shoot her?

_{Because she wanted you dead.} _Galadriel answered, causing Silvia to look up.

'_What did I do for her to want me dead?_'

_{Jealousy. It is a powerful motivator that can even spark the fires of war. For your stepmother it was her jealousy of your beauty that made her attempt to kill you.}_

'_Apparently she failed since I'm alive._'

_{And yet she almost succeeded before help arrived to apprehend her. It was by the grace of the very Valar you followed here tonight that you were spared and brought to this era. It was by chance your path crossed with that of your companions when they found you, for you would have surely bled to death if they had not.}_

"How come I don't remember anything from before I was found, let alone my past?" Silvia asked aloud.

For the longest time Silvia had wanted to know who she was and her past. This was her chance to find out the answers she'd wanted.

"Your memories were lost due to the trauma you suffered at the hands of your stepmother. I cannot reveal the rest of your memories for they are not mine to uncover. I have told you what I have because that knowledge is more important than the others. For one so young you have lost and endured so much. In time you will regain your memories."

"Thank you for telling me what you could, Lady Galadriel. I am truly grateful."

"You are welcome, Silvia. Go now, enjoy the rest of tonight and not let your heart be troubled by your worries." Galadriel replied.

Silvia smiled before making her way over to the stairs. She had only descended a few steps before she stopped, her smile dropping as she remembered something.

"Milady?" Silvia asked, turning to face Galadriel. "Why did the Valar spare me?"

At this Galadriel smiled warmly at her.

"It was because of a mother's love for her child. She prayed for your life to be saved should misfortune befall you while on her deathbed. What you do with your life now is up to you, but know that by the time your journey has reached its end you will have made a difference."

By the time Silvia came back to the festival she found that things had calmed down a bit from earlier. The Elves sat around as they listened to stories being told by another. She wondered what they could be about and was curious enough to join. However her mind was heavy from what she learned about her parents and that she had Elven blood running through her veins. What would the Dwarves think if they found out about that? She knew she couldn't tell them because of how they might react to the news, especially Thorin's reaction. The Dwarves were only tolerating the Elves for now because of the Company's current predicament as far as food and supplies went.

'_If they found out…Thorin won't let me stay._' She thought sadly. '_Bond or not they wouldn't want Elf blood around._'

"There you are, Miss Silvia!"

Silvia turned towards the voice to find Bilbo with a slightly winded look on his face. She sighed, guessing that he'd probably been looking for her this whole time. A smile graced her lips from the fact that he was concerned enough to look for her.

"Where have you been?" Bilbo asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the Elves listening to the current story being told. "I've been looking all over for you."

"I found a beautiful Elf that told me a wonderful story." She told him.

"What was it about?"

"I wish I could tell you but I don't remember all of it." She didn't like having to lie to the Hobbit but she couldn't risk him knowing. Under the right circumstances she felt that he'd blurt out what she was in front of the Dwarves, especially if he were under pressure. "I don't think I'd do the story much justice if I do."

Bilbo smiled and nodded his head.

"Must be quite the story if you don't want to ruin it due to misinterpretation."

"It was, Bilbo." She agreed. "It was."

* * *

ATE: Explanation time!

(1) Festival: Given the fact that we don't know much of what all happened when the Company stayed in Rivendell during The Hobbit (Tolkien doesn't really elaborate the details in the book), I took the liberty to have this happen. I don't really know that much as far as the Elves go so this was taking a huge leap of faith on my part. Hopefully you all understand where I'm coming from.

(2) Elladan and Elrohir: Seeing as Arwen mentioned these two back in the previous chapter, I couldn't help but include them somehow. As far as their outfits go I'd assume that Elrond wouldn't be too keen in allowing them to wear identical clothes, especially if you have guests in your home. Can you imagine how much confusion and chaos there would be if that happened, given that they're identical twins?

(3) Varda: By now I'd think the identity of the woman Silvia saw at the end of the Prologue would be obvious since I outright told you all here. I had to do my research when it came to her and I hope I did an okay job with my interpretation here.

(4) Galadriel: Seeing as the Lady of Light would already be in Rivendell (I believe), I thought it would be appropriate of Silvia to meet her. Even more so given Galadriel's knowledge of certain things, which made her the perfect person to reveal who Silvia is or what she provides her. Like with Varda, I hope I did okay with Galadriel's character and keeping her in character as well. If anyone can tell me what they think, that'd be great.

(5) Merildis: Silvia's mother is Merildis, who happens to be the daughter of Ithilwen, and in turn makes Silvia Ithilwen's granddaughter. Wow! That seemed almost like a tongue twister to me just now. As you can tell Merildis is an Elf, which would make Silvia a half Elf since she married Richard, a mortal human. From some of the reviews I've received for the Prologue, readers were already figuring out that Silvia's mother was an Elf. Bravo to you all that were thinking that and/or figured it out! As for how or why Merildis died (as mentioned in the Prologue) when Elves are immortal, I believe that that'll be explained later in the story. If not, you can always ask and I'll explain.

On that note I have posted more images on my DA account (Aerith-The-Evenstar) of the dress Silvia wears during the festival, Varda, a comparison image between Varda and Galadriel, and Merildis. Feel free to check those out whenever you get the chance.

Also, please remember to review and tell me what you all think so far. Any questions involving the chapter count as well. ;D


	12. The Lion and The Wolf

ATE: Hey everyone! So big thanks go to **Lelleg**, **Boston Rider**, **GypsyWitchBaby**, and **VG fan1** for their reviews on the previous chapter and everyone else still reading (again). Just so you all know, this chapter is a filler and I actually had fun writing this one. And do you wanna know how far in advance I've written this chapter? As far back as 07/18, that's how far back! Amazing right? Well now you all have an idea as to how far ahead I am.

And speaking about writing ahead, I'm currently writing the scene with Azog catching up with the Dwarves near the end of the first movie. So yes, I'm almost done with writing the AUJ segment of this story. But just because I'm writing ahead doesn't mean I'm changing the schedule of my weekly posts. Gotta give you all time to read, now don't I?

Declaimer: I don't own The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings in any way, shape, or form. I also don't own the song Silvia sings in this chapter. Speaking about Silvia, I only own my OCs in this story.

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~*~Chapter 11~*~

When Silvia woke up the next day she was expecting to find herself sleeping on a bedroll surrounded by Dwarves and a Hobbit, not waking up in a soft bed and alone. At first she was confused by this but soon remembered she was in the room provided to her during her stay in Rivendell. She got out of bed (cringing slightly when her feet touched the smooth yet cold stone floor) and tried searching for her dress but was unable to find it at all. Slightly frustrated by this Silvia didn't notice the sound of a door opening until a hand was placed on her shoulder. She whipped around in surprise to find Ithilwen behind her.

"Oh, Ithilwen! You scared me." Silvia said, placing a hand over her heart in an attempt to calm it down.

"I apologize for that, Lady Silvia." The Elf responded. "I came to wake you up for breakfast, but I see you have already done so. However I still need to help you get ready."

"Speaking about helping me get ready, you wouldn't happen to know where my dress is, would you?"

Ithilwen gave her a sympathetic look.

"I regret to inform you that your dress was in such a state that it would not be fit for you to wear. But at this time it is being washed and mended for you to wear and will be given back to you once it is finished."

At this Silvia let out a sigh of relief. She had been worried that she wouldn't have been able to wear her dress. Sure she liked the dresses she'd worn so far during her stay, but she found that she preferred the comfort of the familiar dress she'd grown fond of.

True to her word Ithilwen helped her get bathed and dressed. The gown she had Silvia wear was a sky blue color that (like all the gowns she'd worn so far) had long willowy see-through sleeves and the skirt pooling at her feet, but the hem had more fabric for its trail than the lavender dress she wore yesterday. With how long the dress was she was worried she might trip on the skirt if she wasn't careful.

"I know it is not the same as the dress you wore when you arrived in Rivendell, but I thought you would like it if I found something similar to it for you to wear." Ithilwen told her.

"You didn't need to do that for me. Don't get me wrong, I like the dress, but I'm willing to be open enough to try something new."

The Elf laughed at this.

"At first I believed you might have been too attached to your clothes to try something new, but it would seem I had no need to worry after all. I think this color suits you."

Ithilwen soon ushered her over to the mirror to do her hair, softly humming a tune as she ran a brush through the black strands. Silvia couldn't help thinking about what she learned from Galadriel, and how the Elf taking care of her was her grandmother. She wish she could tell her the truth, but she knew better than to do so now. Maybe one day when the Company completed their journey to the Lonely Mountain and reclaimed Erebor she would tell Ithilwen.

But what would happen to Silvia once Erebor was reclaimed? Thorin offered to let her live with the Dwarves. But now that she found out she was related to Ithilwen that changed things. Who was she supposed to choose? She couldn't decide what to do!

"Is something troubling you, Lady Silvia?" Ithilwen suddenly asked.

Silvia realized that Ithilwen must've seen her facial expression and shook her head.

"I'm fine, Ithilwen." She replied. "You don't need to call me Lady all the time. Just call me Silvia."

Because she didn't like the idea of her grandmother referring to her with an honorific when they most likely had the same social standing. It didn't feel right to Silvia. Now that she thought about it everyone in the Company was either calling her 'Lady' or 'Miss' whenever they called her by name. Silvia would have to do something about that when she got the chance.

"Are you sure?"

"I am."

Silvia was glad to leave the room as soon as Ithilwen finished with her. Not only was she hungry, but she wasn't used to the idea of being away from her companions for so long As much as she enjoyed the company of Elves she preferred being around the lively Dwarves and their familiar presence. Which would make choosing between Ithilwen and the Dwarves all the more difficult when the time came.

By the time she and Ithilwen arrived to breakfast everything was already underway. The Dwarves were actually eating the food provided by the Elves (seeing as there were eggs at least) to the relief of the immortal beings, she assumed. She sat next to Nori and Bombur when she joined the Company for breakfast and they welcomed her eagerly.

"We thoroughly enjoyed seeing you dance last night." Dori suddenly said.

Silvia looked up from her plate suddenly feeling confused.

"Seeing me dance? How were you able to watch if you weren't around last night?" She asked.

"That one's easy." Bofur said. "Our room was located above so we were able to watch the festivities down below."

"Quite the sight to behold." Ori commented, a slight blush on his face.

Bifur said something in Dwarvish (sounding enthusiastic) that Silvia couldn't understand but judging by everyone's reaction they were apparently agreeing about something."

"What did he say?" She asked.

"He said we should have a chance to dance with you in the near future." Bombur replied.

Silvia started sputtering when she heard this, trying to form words and failing. Her face heated up in embarrassment and the sudden attention.

"W-wait, that's-!"

"Not a bad idea!" Nori finished, having interrupted what she was originally saying.

"Wha-? No, I'm trying to say that I-!"

"She says she accepts!" Oin exclaimed.

"Ah, by our beards and bless our hearts!" Bofur commented almost dramatically. "It's truly an honor when the Lady Silvia accepts such a humble request."

Silvia's mouth fell open as she looked around helplessly, the Dwarves all laughing and cheering for 'accepting' their request of dancing with them. She soon gave up trying to protest since every time she did they would interrupt her mid-sentence and twist her words around.

"I-I just remembered that I needed to do something." Silvia quickly said.

She quickly got up from her seat before making her way out of the area. She wasn't aware of where she was going until she found herself in the garden where she met Arwen yesterday. She felt a sense of peace in this place that calmed her down slightly. Silvia went over to one of the trees and sat down with her back pressed against the trunk before letting out a sigh. She blushed as she recalled what the Dwarves did and felt embarrassed.

'_Note to self._' She thought, smiling despite herself. '_Dwarves are persistent and won't take no for an answer._'

She chuckled quietly at the truth of that statement, because that's what just happened a few minutes ago. Even though she wasn't accustomed to this world or the cultures of the races she'd encounter so far the Dwarves still accepted her. How had she managed to do something like that and establish such a bond?

Closing her eyes she tried to take a nap but there were too many thoughts floating around her head. These thoughts ranged from questions of her past and Elvish relations to homes and Dwarvish companions. No! She needed to think of something else to distract her from these conflicting thoughts. She tried to search through her mind for anything that could serve that purpose. To her surprise she ended up finding words, more like a verse to a song. She opened her mouth to recite the words.

_Hear my silent prayer  
__Heed my quiet call  
__When the dark and blue surround you  
__Step into my sigh  
__Look inside the light  
__You will know that I have found you_

"How'd she know we were here?"

Startled, Silvia's eyes opened to find a certain pair of Dwarf brothers standing before her, orbs of blue and brown gazing down at her in concern. Why were they concerned about her? She felt a drying trail running down her cheek and lifted a hand to touch it, only to realize it was a stray tear that escaped her eye. That would explain the concern.

"I'm fine." She said, wiping away any leftover tears from her eyes with her sleeve. "No need to worry about me."

Something fell into her lap and she pulled her arm away to find that it was a red apple, the color a great contrast to the dress she wore. Confused Silvia looked up at the brothers as she now picked up the apple and held it in her hands.

"You didn't exactly finish breakfast this morning." Fili said.

"Wasn't breakfast just a few minutes ago?"

"Breakfast was hours ago." Kili pointed out.

Oh. Had she really been here for that long? Strange, it didn't feel like that much time had passed. Then again she had been busy thinking.

"Thanks." She said.

Fili and Kili looked at each other with amused expressions on their faces before plopping down on either side of her. Puzzled, Silvia glanced at each of them and saw the knowing smiles they had.

"What are you-?"

_Found sleeping among the trees  
__Sweet and quiet as a warm breeze  
__It seems so long it's been awhile  
__Since we've seen Silvia smile!_

Silvia's eyes widened in surprise since she hadn't expected Fili and Kili to start singing.

_Graceful as a grown willow  
__Skin as white as fallen snow  
__The midnight shade that is her hair  
__What a sight, she is so fair!_

She looked down at her lap as she felt herself blush. It wouldn't be a surprise if her face was as red as the apple she held. She felt embarrassed that the brothers were singing about her and their choice of words.

_Willing to help and care for us  
__We can't deny her kindness  
__And in our hearts it's very clear  
__We don't want her to shed a tear_

Silvia couldn't help but smile at this point, realizing the reason why they were singing to her. She suddenly felt them placing an arm on her shoulders and glanced up to see identical grins on their faces. Her heart started hammering in her chest when they both leaned in closer to her.

_That's why we like Silvia's smile!_

Fili and Kili laughed as they pulled away from Silvia and she found herself joining them as well. She leaned back against the tree behind her as she looked out at the flowers in the garden.

"Are you feeling better now, lass?" Fili asked.

"Yes, but I wasn't even upset." Silvia answered.

"You're going to have to try harder than that if you want to convince us." Kili said. "If it's about the others wanting you to dance with all of us then we'll apologize for upsetting you."

"No, it's not that at all actually. It's…more or less my memories…"

It wasn't a complete lie, but it wasn't the entire truth either.

"Well? What'd you remember?"

"Only that I made the dress I wore when you all found me."

"It would seem Lady Silvia has some talent." The blonde Dwarf smirked.

"Fee, no." Kili grumbled, giving his brother a pointed look.

"What's wrong?" Silvia asked.

"Nothing, just an inside joke." Kili seemed to notice that she still held the red fruit in her hands. "Aren't you going to eat that apple?"

"Oh, I am it's just...it's so pretty, I'm afraid to eat it." She smiled as she looked at the apple.

"It's just a piece of fruit. It's not like it's poisoned or anything."

Silvia's smile dropped as she turned to face Kili, her eyes wide in fear.

"What? It's poisoned?"

"No, no!" Fili quickly said, making Silvia face him. "It's just a harmless apple that happens to be a fine shade of red. Go on, take a bite!"

Silvia looked down at the apple. It was such a pretty apple and looked like it'd be juicy. She brought it to her mouth before taking a bite out of it, smiling at how sweet and juicy it tasted.

"Hey, Kee."

"Yeah?"

"Maybe we should've told her that the apple would put her in a deep sleep."

Silvia's eyes widened before proceeding to spit out the bit of apple she was chewing on. With wide eyes she looked between Fili and Kili to see their grim expressions.

"W-what?" She cried out.

Suddenly huge grins broke out on their faces as the brothers laughed at her reaction, causing Silvia to blush in embarrassment.

"You actually thought we were serious!" Kili chuckled.

"We were just messing with you. Completely harmless!" Fili explained. "The apple's safe to eat."

Silvia looked at the apple and felt uneasy despite what Fili said. She gulped before bringing it to her face, only to stop when she started having second thoughts.

"After that I don't think I should eat it." Silvia said.

"Here, we'll prove it's safe for you."

Before Silvia could protest Fili simply took the apple out of her hands and took a bite from it. Kili did the same when the blonde Dwarf passed the fruit to him before depositing it into her hands. They both smiled as if to reassure her.

"See? It's perfectly safe for you…"

Silvia was confused when Fili trailed off but it didn't last long when both he and Kili suddenly passed out in front of her. She turned around to face the now sleeping Dwarves on the ground and frantically tried shaking them away.

"Fili? Kili? Wake up." She tried.

No response.

"Okay, this isn't funny anymore."

Still no response.

She then knelt down between Fili and Kili in order to lightly slap their cheeks in an attempt to wake them up.

"Come on, wake up! I know you're pretending."

Silvia even lifted one of their arms and let go, only to it them fall limply to the ground. Her face paled.

Okay, maybe they weren't faking it.

Silvia became terrified by the fact they weren't doing anything and started panicking.

She froze.

…

She was panicking.

Oh god, she was panicking!

What was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to wake them? What if Thorin found out what happened? She had a feeling he would be angry and she'd prefer not being on his bad side when that happened. She had no way of explaining what happened without panicking (like she was now!) and it wasn't like she could kiss them and make things right-!

She glanced down at their sleeping faces and blushed. Especially when she remembered what happened between her and Kili during the Troll incident when Bombur was dropped on them.

"Nope, I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it." She muttered to herself.

Did she really have to do _that_?! Wasn't there another way to wake them? She sighed, knowing that she couldn't think of anything else she hadn't tried…except the kiss. She looked between the two brothers and her blush deepen. Who was she supposed to kiss first? She immediately ruled out Kili since it'd just feel awkward to have that happen _again_. So that left Fili, who happened to be Thorin's chosen heir.

No pressure, right?

Silvia gulped before turning to Fili. She placed a hand on the ground to balance herself as she hovered over him, hesitantly leaning her head closer to him.

Only for him to suddenly jump up and roar at her. Silvia let out a yelp in fright as she fell backwards and into Kili, which was soon followed by the Dwarves laughing hysterically at her expense. She blushed in embarrassment before quickly getting off of the dark haired Dwarf in order to stand. She turned her back to them in order to hide her red face.

"I swear you two are like a lion and a wolf!" She said. "In fact you even resemble them almost."

The brothers stopped laughing and she could hear movement behind her.

"How's your ankle doing?" Fili suddenly asked.

"It's fine." She proceeded to turn around. "Why are you—?"

Silvia stopped when she saw the mischievous looks on Fili's and Kili's faces as they gazed at her. She took a step back, only for the brothers to advance a step towards her. They seemed to pick up on her anxiety since they started grinning.

"If I'm like a lion," Fili started.

"And I a wolf," Kili added.

"That makes you a doe."

"Meaning that makes _us_ hunters,"

"And _you_ prey."

Silvia's eyes widened as she realized what Fili and Kili were possibly implying. Forget feeling anxious, she was terrified!

"No, no, no." She weakly protested. "Don't you dare…!"

"Yes, yes, yes." Fili's grin widened, the Dwarves taking a step forward as they said the three lettered word.

"We dare." Kili said.

Before she knew it Silvia found herself running away from Fili and Kili as they chased after her. She was surprised at how she wasn't tripping over the skirt of her dress given how long it was made. She did her best to evade the brothers during their game of chase in that garden, soon finding herself huffing and puffing while the Dwarves didn't even break a sweat. This. Was. Ridiculous! Eventually she was on one side of the fountain while Fili and Kili were closing in on either side of her to block any way for her to escape.

And that was when she spotted the tree she'd been sitting under, but it was on the other side of the fountain. Seeing the brothers slowly creeping towards her like the animals she'd compared them to (arms raised as they prepared to make a grab for her) Silvia glanced ahead at ahead at the fountain as she came to a decision. She quickly climbed into the fountain and ran as fast as she could through the water in her mad dash to the tree, all the while her dress getting soaked and weighed down by water.

'_Ithilwen will _not _be pleased._' She thought, knowing that news traveled fast in Rivendell if a single Elf was even watching (for that was all it took for the gossip to start up).

As soon as she made it to the tree she was quickly climbing up into the branches and sat herself down. Her legs hung off the side of the branch she sat on (her skirt falling a few inches past her toes) and she was glad she was high enough that the Dwarves wouldn't be able to grab her skirt to pull her down. Speaking of Fili and Kili they were soon at the foot of the tree having to tilt their heads back just to gaze up at her perched form.

"I bet you weren't expecting me to do that, were you?" Silvia laughed, seeing their bewildered faces.

"You can't climb up a tree!" Kili exclaimed, his voice slightly high pitched.

"And why not?"

"It's against the rules."

Silvia scoffed at that.

"I don't recall either of you mentioning anything about rules."

"She's right, you know?" Fili pointed out before turning to her. "How about you climb down and we call it a truce?"

"How about no."

"_No_?" Fili and Kili looked at each other looking somewhat confused, but she got the feeling they were feigning ignorance. "How come?"

"After tricking me twice I don't feel like falling for another one of your tricks a third time."

Fili and Kili looked at each other, seeming to have a silent conversation before turning back to her smirking.

"Fine by us, lass. Just know you'll have to come down eventually."

"I think I'll take my chances."

"Then we'll be waiting for you down here."

"Try not to keep us waiting _too_ long, milady." Kili added.

Silvia blushed as she watched Fili and Kili sitting down at the foot of the tree, leaning back against the trunk. Everything was quiet and as she calmed down from the adrenaline rush she started shivering since her dress was wet and sticking to her like a second skin. She noticed how the dark haired Dwarf began carving a piece of wood he'd pulled out of his coat with a small knife while his older brother watched. Now that she thought about it, Silvia had seen Kili doing the same thing the night she heard the brothers' story about Orcs.

The silence was soon broken when they started talking to each other in Dwarvish. The language wasn't as harsh as it usually was due to the lighthearted tone they used (when compared to when Bifur and Thorin used it) as they spoke quietly but loud enough for her to hear the foreign words. It was a lot different than the graceful language of the Elves now that she was actually hearing an entire conversation in Dwarvish, but she found it fitting considering their race.

Even though she didn't know the language Silvia had a slight idea as to what Fili and Kili were talking about by their tone of voice. Right now the conversation was casual, nodding and chuckling occasionally as they agreed on something. Then Fili leaned closer to his brother and lowered his voice, and whatever it was he said made Kili stop his work on the carving before glancing at his brother and asking a question. Fili said something before the two glanced up at Silvia, blushing when she realized they were probably talking about her.

Maybe they were discussing how to get her down from the tree. At least that's what she assumed.

Kili's head shot to look at Fili before looking away, all the while shaking his head as he spoke firmly. She could hear the smirk in Fili's voice as he seemed to tease his younger brother about something, becoming amused as the dark haired Dwarf seemed to have trouble speaking. The blonde haired Dwarf kept teasing playfully until Kili smacked him and sounded as if he were complaining about something he said. Fili chuckled at this and seemed to poke his cheek (or was it his chin), but apparently this didn't amuse Kili since he hung his head. Fili stopped teasing and soon sounded as if he were trying to comfort Kili, the latter weakly shaking his head as he spoke softly in a depressed tone.

Apparently Fili had been teasing Kili about his beard (or lack thereof) and the younger brother got upset. Interesting.

"Could you pass us some apples, lass?" Fili suddenly asked, having switched back to speaking normally.

"Apples?" She asked.

"Aye. You just so happen to be sitting in a tree that grows them."

Silvia looked around at the branches seeing that Fili was right about there being apples. She stood up (doing her best not to shiver as she remembered that her dress was still wet from earlier) and reached up to pick two apples from the branch above her. And that was when she got an idea and grinned, glancing down at the brothers and a group of bushes nearby.

"Found some." She said.

"Good. You mind throwing them down?"

Silvia drew her arm back before throwing them into the bushes. The brothers stared in the direction the apples landed before glancing up at her with blank looks.

"Lass, you do realize what you did, right?"

"You never said _where _to throw them."

"You were supposed to throw them down to _us_."

"So?"

Kili chuckled and in response Fili smacked him. What Silvia missed was the knowing looks they gave each other.

"Don't worry about it. We'll just retrieve them."

Silvia watched as Fili and Kili headed over to the bushes she threw the apples in. After waiting she decided to climb down from the tree before trying to sneak away from the garden quietly. She had to be quick if she wanted to get out of there before either of them noticed she was gone. She could see the elegant archway leading into the open hallway just a few yards or so away from her. She was almost there.

"Gotcha!"

Silvia yelped when she was suddenly grabbed from behind (while the voice spoke), wrapping something around her form and effectively pinning her arms to her side. She started struggling when her captor lifted her up before carrying her back over to the tree she'd just climbed out of. Silvia turned her head to see brown eyes staring back at her blue ones, seeing the smug look on his face. Glancing down she found that he'd trapped her by wrapping his coat around her and she couldn't deny how warm it was since he'd just been wearing it not that long ago.

"Looks like the wolf won." He whispered to her.

Silvia blushed at this and buried herself into the coat, noticing that it smelled like fresh air accompanied by an earthy scent and a hint of tobacco. And that was when she remembered it was _his _coat he had wrapped around her.

"Put me down." She said.

"No." Was Kili's simple reply.

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

Silvia groaned at this, knowing he wasn't going to listen.

Silvia soon saw Fili standing under the tree with the same smug look as Kili's when he saw her still struggling to get away. She was glad to be on the ground again but now the brothers stood in front of her.

"Nice try, lass, but you're more predictable than you think. We knew you'd do something like that as soon as you threw those apples." Fili told her.

"Fee, you know what I'm thinking?" Kili asked.

"Oh yes." They gave each other knowing looks before turning to face Silvia. "We should give her something for her efforts to avoid getting caught by us."

Silvia was about to ask what they were talking about but she froze when the brothers both placed a kiss on her cheeks. Face red in embarrassment, she stared at Fili and Kili with wide eyes. She watched as the looks of amusement appeared on their faces as she tried to speak, only to fail since it seemed like her voice decided it didn't want to cooperate with her. She started slowly backing away before bolting, abandoning Kili's coat in the process. Silvia didn't get far since she was soon caught…again.

"And just _where _do you think you're going?" Kili asked, sounding amused. "You're our prey and prey doesn't get away once it's caught."

"Technically she's _your_ prey, seeing as you caught her first." Fili stated. "Twice if you want to count now."

Kili seemed to roll his eyes at this, but he didn't seem to mean it. Silvia soon found herself being carried back over to the tree, still shivering from the air that felt cold to her. Kili placed her on the ground in order to pick up his coat and wrap it around her shoulders.

"I don't need it." She lied.

Kili gave her a pointed look, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Don't lie. Your dress is soaking wet and neither of us want you getting sick." Kili said, leaving no room for argument.

The dark haired Dwarf suddenly lifted her up, only to place her sideways on his lap when he and Fili sat down against the tree. Silvia's face was heating up just from this but it got worse when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. She could feel the warmth of his body because of how close she was.

Okay, here she was wrapped up in Kili's coat, sitting in said Dwarf's lap as he held her close.

Yeah, there was _nothing _awkward about this situation at all.

"Is this really necessary?" She asked.

"You're my prey." Kili seemed to tighten his hold on her slightly. "I caught you, I keep you."

"The lion lost this round to the wolf." Fili chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling in amusement. "Maybe next time I'll win."

Kili turned to face Fili before they started speaking in Dwarvish again. It started off sounding casual (like before), but then shifted into a serious tone as they lowered their voices. Silvia didn't have the slightest clue what they were saying this time as she listened. At one point the Dwarf holding her got defensive and accidentally tightened his hold on her.

"C-can't…breathe!" She wheezed.

At this Kili realized what he did and gave her a sheepish look.

"Sorry." He said before switching back to Dwarvish.

Fili chuckled (possibly at what happened) as he spoke in an amused tone. His brother was quiet as he continued in a more subdued tone before Kili spoke, this time sounding somewhat fond of something or another. Probably about home, family, or childhood memories, she assumed. The blonde haired Dwarf then asked a question to which the dark haired one spoke quietly in a determined tone.

Fili and Kili's conversation started to sound personal so Silvia decided not to listen in anymore (not like she would learn anything due to the current language barrier). She found herself getting comfortable with how warm she was at that moment, grateful for what the dark haired Dwarf was doing for her. She might as well seeing as Kili didn't have any intentions of letting her go anytime soon. Not having much to do she shut her eyes, unaware of the fact she was now leaning against him.

"You've gotten quite comfortable despite earlier." She heard whispered to her.

Silvia's eyes shot open and found that her head had been laying on Kili's shoulder. Her face turned red when she realized this and pulled her head away as far as she could (which wasn't much).

"Could you let me go?" She asked.

"You already know my answer." He told her.

"Please?"

"And why should I?"

"Because you're hungry?"

At this Kili smirked.

"Indeed I am."

Silvia paled when she realized what he was implying.

"Don't eat me!" She said fearfully.

Fili and Kili busted out laughing at Silvia's reaction causing her to blush. Four times. She'd already been tricked four times in one day. How embarrassing…

"Nobody's going to eat you, lass." Fili chuckled. "Nevertheless your reaction was worth seeing."

"I guess I can let you go, if you promise to see everyone tonight." Kili bargained.

As long as he'd let her go she'd agree to do almost anything. She nodded and before she knew it Silvia was free of Kili's hold and his coat returned to him. It was as she was making her way through the halls that she noticed her dress wasn't as soaked as earlier and her eyes widened when she realized why.

Kili had held her as long as he did so she could get dry.

She felt her face heat up but soon found herself smiling. It was ironic how the situation mirrored that of when she'd helped Thorin, Fili, and Kili dry off with heated blankets, only this time their roles were reversed and not as life threatening.

'_Looks like we're even._' She thought, feeling grateful to the dark haired Dwarf.

* * *

ATE: Explanation time!

(1) The Dwarves' method of 'persuasion': The bit where the Dwarves kept finishing Silvia's sentences. What's funny about this is that interaction was supposed to mirror how the Dwarves were to Bilbo back in Bag End where they were asking him if he was a burglar, only to assume that he was saying yes. Well, that what I was thinking when I was writing that part up. I think a lot of people will enjoy Bofur's comment the most. XD

(2) Silvia's song: So the song Silvia sings in this chapter are the only lyrics to a song called Dreamcatcher, which is by Secret Garden. I kinda stumbled across this song and I liked the lyrics. It's a lot better than what I could've come up with. And the last line of the lyrics were written in a way that both Fili and Kili would assume that she was saying that she knew they were trying to sneak up on her (yes, they were, in fact, _trying _to sneak up on her) and it was by accident that she found out they were even around to begin with. Funny how things like that work, right?

(3) Fili and Kili's song: This song was meant to cheer up Silvia and if you couldn't already tell, it's to the tune of Blunt the Knives from the soundtrack of first Hobbit movie. This was one of the last minute ideas I came up with while in class and for the longest time I was trying to think of lyrics that could possibly work (even went as far as to ask my own roommate for ideas, even though I try to keep my fanfiction life secret from my friends; but I found a way around this by not revealing my username so that's fine), but after some time experimenting I ended up with the lyrics I wrote in this chapter. Does writing the lyrics I made up count as being owned by me?

(4) The apple: The apple Fili and Kili give Silvia and all the way that it was involved in this chapter (i.e. 'apple being poisoned' and 'making you fall asleep') were supposed to be parallels/references to the story of Snow White. The fact that the Dwarf brothers were messing with Silvia was a really good bonus to add in, seeing as they're most likely to do so.

(5) The lion and wolf: Okay, I've read a lot of Hobbit fanfics where the writer compared Fili and Kili to a lion and wolf respectfully, and actually comparing the two the the animals themselves I can actually see why. Really good analogies on those who thought this up. It was mainly played for laughs, but then it ended up evolving from just a simple comment on Silvia's part to a full out game of chase (reasons already having been stated in this chapter).

I'll be honest with all of you. The content in this chapter was in no way planned at all (except for the bit concerning breakfast) in the original outline I wrote out before starting this story, and even then the outline for THIS chapter was even more different than how it turned out. Although I admit that how this turned out was a lot better than what I originally planned. I still like how this turned out.

So I have a new image of Silvia wearing the dress she has on in this chapter up on deviantart (look under Aerith-The-Evenstar and you'll find it labelled as 'Silvia -Rivendell Garden Dress'). I got a comment on the first dress Silvia wears back in Chapter 9 from one of my readers saying that they loved how I included images to go with the story. It really made my day to know that people are taking the time to check out the things I post over there.

Anyways, what did you all think of the chapter (knowing **Boston Rider** I know they'll say it's really good or something along those lines with a huge amount of enthusiasm)? Any questions concerning the story so far? Please leave a review and I'll respond ASAP! ;D_  
_

***PS: For those of you who play Lord of the Rings Online, I'll tell you now that I have recently created Silvia as a character for me to play as when I get one. You can find me in the Crickhollow server going by the name of 'Silvianya' (seeing as the names 'Silvia' and 'Sylvia' was already taken). Seeing as this is a recently created character, my character will be a human (the race of Man), about Level 3, and working my way through the Prologue or something like that. I'll even give you the times I plan on being on during the week:

Sundays: about 3pm - 9pm (EST: Eastern Time)

Mondays - Fridays: 5pm - 9pm (EST: Eastern Time)

Saturdays: All day!

So that gives you all an idea as to my availability on LOTR Online, so if you're ever on the Crickhollow server, then you know where to find me. Just look for Silvianya and then you've found me.


	13. Khuzdul

ATE: Well, I got some good news! Recently I finished writing Chapter 18, which marks the end of the first movie segment of this story (although I'll need to go back through and watch the movie as I fix a few mistakes). So that means I've started writing up the outline for the Desolation of Smaug segment for this story. Anyways, big thanks go out to **VG fan1**, **Boston Rider**, and **Eruwaeheil95** for their reviews and anyone else still reading. I know this chapter is shorter than it could be, but it's enough to cover until next week.

ALSO! I wanted to point out that this chapter takes place when the Dwarves are roasting food over a fire they made from the Elves' furniture. I'm aware that in the extended version of An Unexpected Journey that this scene takes place AFTER the scene where Elrond and Lindir find the Dwarves swimming in one of their fountains, but there's a reason why this happened! The reason was that I was doing this from memory and got the order of those two scenes mixed up, and by the time I was writing up Chapter 15 and went back to watch the movie did I realize that I realized this and the damage was done. I have no way of going back and fixing these mistakes because I would have to change a vast amount of the content I've already written up. Seeing as this is a fanfic I can actually get away with this, and I'm sure you all understand this simple mistake on my part.

Declaimer: I don't own The Hobbit or LOTRs and never will! I only own my OCs.

* * *

~*~Chapter 12~*~

Just as she promised Silvia had joined the Dwarves that night in the area they were staying in (she would've gotten lost if it hadn't been for hearing the sound of the Dwarves' merriment). She was surprised that the Dwarves created a fire by burning the broken pieces of a wooden chair, but by this time there wasn't any point in making a deal out of it. She could see Bofur sitting by the fire cooking sausages with Bifur close by holding some lettuce over the flames. Bombur sat on top of a bench eating while the rest of the Dwarves sat around the room, some of them smoking their pipes as they relaxed. What Silvia noticed was that Thorin, Balin, and Bilbo were missing, which she voiced to the others.

"They went with Gandalf to discuss something." Dwalin told her simply.

So that explained where they were (which was the main reason why Gandalf had them come to Rivendell). Silvia eventually found herself sitting beside Bifur in front of the fire, in which she received a greeting from the Dwarf.

"Hello, Bifur." She replied with a smile.

Bifur responded with a smile and spoke enthusiastically in Dwarvish. He then gesture towards her and Silvia felt confused.

"Something about me?" She asked.

He nodded before proceeding to lift the fabric that made up the dress she wore, to which she realized what he was trying to tell her.

"My dress!" Bifur nodded and said something. "You like my dress?"

"Close, lass." Bofur said, causing Silvia to turn to him. "He's trying to say you look pretty in that dress."

"Oh." Silvia blushed but was glad the light of the fire hid this fact. "Is there a reason Bifur can only speak Dwarvish?"

"The correct term is Khuzdul. As for the reason Bifur had a bit of an accident, hence the axe in his head. He's perfectly capable of understanding you, but if you want I'll tell you if your guess is close."

Silvia nodded before turning back to Bifur. Even if she couldn't understand his words she was capable of guessing with this little game of charades.

"So you actually eat green food despite what Dwalin said yesterday?" She asked.

Bifur nodded before holding out the piece of lettuce he'd been roasting to her. She laughed.

"Normally I would accept, but seeing as I don't have the same appetite as you Dwarves I must decline. But thank you for offering."

"So that means you wouldn't be interested in some sausage then?" Bofur asked, taking one of the links off the stick he'd been using.

"Sadly, no."

Bofur glanced down at the sausage in his hand before glancing over to Bombur.

"Bombur!"

Bombur successfully caught the sausage Bofur tossed his was, but the bench stated groaning before breaking underneath the fat Dwarf's weight. Everyone busted out laughing at the sight (for Bofur it got to the point where he fell over on his side during his hysterics) and even Silvia joined them. When everyone calmed down she got up and wandered over to stand before the banister to gaze down at the clearing below, realizing that it was the same area where the festival took place last night. So this is what the Dwarves meant when they claimed to have seen her dancing last night. It was strange how last night felt like a dream but she knew it wasn't.

"May I interest you in some tea, Lady Silvia?"

Silvia turned to find Dori holding out a cup of tea to her.

"Yes." Silvia replied, gingerly taking the cup from the Dwarf. "Thank you."

"It's only courteous that I offer." Dori told her.

She nodded in agreement before taking a sip of tea, the hot liquid helping in warming her up.

"I'm guessing that you're the eldest brother when it comes to Ori and Nori?"

"You would be correct. It's my job to look after them, especially when it comes to Nori."

"Why is that?"

Dori sighed.

"He… has a tendency to get in trouble with the authorities. I thought it'd be good for him to be on this quest when it came to his habits. As for Ori I wanted him to become more open to new things.

"I noticed how Ori tends to keep to himself most of the time."

"He's always been a shy lad, even as a Dwarfling. I assume you've seen him with his nose in that journal of his."

"Many times. It wasn't until yesterday that I'd been given the chance to look at it. Your brother is talented when it comes to his drawings and writing."

Dori chuckled.

"You're the first to actually get him to show you his work aside from myself and Nori! I'm quite impressed seeing as he didn't want anyone else to see it until its completion. What I don't understand is what you mean by his writing."

"He read to me how you all met Bilbo in Bag End since I couldn't read the Dwarf Runes he wrote in. He told me how only a rare few outside your race were capable of reading and speaking…Khuzul, was it?"

"Khuzdul, lass." Dori corrected. "And the reason for that is because it's a secret language among our kind. We only teach it to only the most trustworthy of people outside our race, such as Mister Gandalf himself. Believe me when I say that there aren't many we deem so trustworthy."

"What about me? Am I trustworthy enough?" Silvia asked.

"We do trust you, but not to the point that we'd willingly teach you our language. Maybe someday you'll be able to learn Khuzdul, assuming you're still alive by that time."

Silvia wanted to tell Dori that she'd be around by that time but decided against it since they still thought she was human. She laughed in response (in order to cover up her initial thoughts) and smiled.

"Let's just hope that I'm still around when that day comes, Dori."

"Aye. We can only hope you live a long and prosperous life to the end of your days." Silvia was surprise by how somber the Dwarf beside her suddenly became. "With how much your presence has already affected our lives, it'd go without saying that your death would be considered a huge loss to us, given the mortality of Men. You'd be greatly missed, Lady Silvia."

Even though Silvia knew that wouldn't happen as soon as the others thought she couldn't help but feel sad for the Dwarves she traveled with. She'd been aware that they'd grown fond of her, but not to the extent that her own death would have such an impact on them. And the worst part was that they haven't known her for long. She couldn't imagine how devastating the result would be if they knew her for longer than a week. It didn't matter if they believed her to die prematurely when the truth was she wouldn't, it was the fact they felt that strongly for her that made things all the more harder for her, especially when they found out what she really was. True they might be glad that she wouldn't die when they thought she would, but then they would notice she wouldn't be capable of aging past a certain point in her life, which would lead to them asking questions concerning her 'mortality' before they realized she was half Elven. Knowing how much they disliked Elves she knew that the trust she would've built up by that point would be completely destroyed and more than likely exile her from the rest of them.

Her heart clenched at the thought of leaving the Dwarves and felt tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Lady Silvia! I didn't mean to upset you!"

"No, no. You didn't upset me. I didn't realize how much I meant to all of you, and I'm touched. "She lied, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to get rid of the tears but they were easily replaced with more. "I think I should go. Thank you for the tea, Dori."

Silvia made her way across the room after passing her cup to Dori. She could hear the Dwarves voicing their concerns and questions as to where she was going but she ignored them all.

She needed to be alone for a bit.

* * *

After watching Silvia leave everyone turned to Dori before asking him what happened. The Dwarf had the decency to look ashamed as he explained what he told the woman. He sighed quietly before silently slipping out to follow her; he made sure to follow at a safe distance to avoid being seen. He knew she probably wanted to be alone, but he couldn't help feeling concerned for her.

'_Dori, you fool!_' He thought, feeling somewhat exasperated.

He was aware at how the race of Men could sometimes be sensitive when it came to their mortality seeing as they lived to be 100 on average. But the fact that Dori told her about how much they'd miss her when she eventually passed on from this world probably upset her. She was still fairly young and had her life ahead of her, but it didn't stop any or them from realizing how short her existence would be when compared to that of a Dwarf. Which made him painfully aware of how hard it'd be to say goodbye when the time came to do so.

He eventually followed Silvia to what he assumed was the room provided to her, and the sound of her weeping confirmed his suspicions. His heart clenched as he listened in, wanting to go inside and comfort her himself, but he resisted the urge and instead quietly slid down the wall next to the door as he sat against it. All he could do now was listen and wait, knowing that this was something Silvia need to come to terms with.

Because in reality no one wanted to die. It was only natural to fear death or the unknown regardless of how long a person's lifespan was. At some point one would accept their own death in time and even their loved ones would too eventually. But he couldn't see himself accepting Silvia's death even if she were to die of old age. Maybe holding onto the memories he'd make over the upcoming years would help ease the pain of her passing. At least he hoped so.

Eventually he heard Silvia's sobs go quiet but he waited a few minutes before deciding to enter the room. He found her lying on the large bed still clothed in the gown she wore that day with her back turned to him as she lay on her side. Walking around to the other side revealed she was now asleep, the moonlight coming into the room from the balcony making it easier for him to assess her face. He could see the trail of dry tears streaking down her cheeks from when she'd been crying and that her eyes were (most likely) red and puffy as a result. Her lips were slightly parted as she breathed while her form steadily rose up and down. He couldn't help noticing how beautiful she looked in the moonlight as she slept.

His heart ached at the sight before him. He wanted to blame Dori for the state Silvia was now in, but deep down he knew the Dwarf hadn't meant to upset her at all. In a way they were all to blame for becoming so attached to her in such a short amount of time.

'_Tears don't suit you._' He thought, a sad smile gracing his lips.

He recalled how Silvia had been last night, smiling and dancing as she enjoyed the night. A smile suited her so much better than tears, especially the ones that seemed to make her face light up as they expressed her joy. He reached forward and gently brushed a strand of black hair away from her face.

'_Sleep well, lass._'

And with that he silently left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

* * *

ATE: Explanation time!

(1) Bifur: Bifur was interesting to write and seeing as I haven't really written any form of interaction between him and Silvia (the only time was back in Chapter 5 when he work her up) I thought that this would be a good time as any for her to do so. Sorry I don't have much to say on him than that.

(2) Dori: I have Silvia interacting with Dori for the same reasons I had her interacting with Bifur. In all honesty I didn't know how to go about his character since the movies don't show us much as far as his character is concerned (all we really know from the movie is that he likes fine food and the mother hen when it comes to his brothers Nori and Ori), but I did read from tolkiengateway and lordoftheringswikia that he can be cynical, which shows in this chapter. I also felt like that she should learn a little more about his family, so yeah.

(3) Khuzdul: Since Chapter 7 Silvia learned from Ori a bit about the language the Dwarves use, but due to him not elaborating on the correct term of their language and only telling her of Dwarf Runes Silvia assumed that their language was called Dwarvish. I had to really do research on Khuzdul to get my information right. I know that Khuzdul is a secret language, and the only reason I had Dori tell Silvia that only people they deemed trustworthy enough could learn the language is because I assumed Gandalf knew Khuzdul since he was able to read the Dwarf Runes on Balin's Tomb in Fellowship of the Ring. We all know that Gandalf is a REALLY old fellow and because of that he probably learned how to read and speak Khuzdul at some point in his life. For the same reason I didn't write any Elvish dialogue in this story so far, I won't write down any of Bifur's dialogue or a conversation in Khuzdul since I don't want to do the research and, again, I'd screw up the grammar of the sentences.

(4) Silvia's dilemma: So by this point we're all aware of the conflict in Silvia's mind concerning her being half Elven. I want to show that this is an issue that she's really worried about and who can blame her? For the longest time she's believed herself to be human (from what she can remember) so learning that your not human...well it's not easy to wrap your mind around something like that, let alone cope with being told such information. Such things aren't easy for me to explain, but you should have an idea what I'm going for, right?

Sorry about this chapter being shorter than usual, but there wasn't much I could do with this part.

So I've been thinking of posting an image of Silvia's dad Richard up on DA. Who all is interested?

Anyways, what did you all think? Any questions? Please remember to review! ;D


	14. Silvia's Dance

ATE: Now we finally have the 13th Chapter of this story. So anyways, thanks go out to **VG fan1**, **GypsyWitchBaby**, **Eruwaedhiel95**, **Boston Rider**, and **Sierra Burges** for their reviews on the previous chapter (or in **Sierra Burges's** review, Chapter 9) and everyone else still reading. Speaking about readers and reviewers, I've started to notice how some of the reviewers of this story are Guests. Now I have nothing against Guests reviewing my stories (in fact I love reading what they have to say!), but it's because they're Guests that I have trouble replying to their reviews (I make it a point to reply to any reviews I receive). So seeing as I can't exactly reply to those reviewing as Guests, I'll post my responses to Guest reviewers at the beginning of each chapter, starting with this one.**  
**

**VG fan1**: I have to agree with you when it comes to Bifur and Dori. They definitely are interesting Dwarves. Well, seeing as this is this week's new chapter you don't have to wait long or at all! As for your fanfic suggestion, I did take a peek at it out of curiosity (despite not being a shipper) and I found it interesting as far as the amount of research the author did on the Dwarf culture and personalities.

**Sierra Burges**: I know this review is from Chapter 9 but I'm responding anyways! I tend to get a lot of readers saying that my story is really good (the story itself getting a total of 17 Favorites and on 29 users' Story Alerts) and I'm glad you like it. I can understand why you'd wonder about Silvia being helpless, but there's a good reason. All I can tell you is that she won't be helpless for long.

Now, if you remember how I stated that in the last chapter, I mixed up the two scenes from the extended version of the movie, then you'll know that this chapter will have that one scene I was talking about. Yeah, for those who have watched the extended version you all know what I'm talking about.

Declaimer: I don't own The Hobbit or LOTRs, and I never will. End of story (but not this one). I only own my OCs.

* * *

~*~Chapter 13~*~

Silvia was confused when she woke up the next day, finding herself still wearing the sky blue dress from yesterday when she pushed back the covers. The last thing she remembered was being with the Dwarves last night, but then…? Her eyes widened as she remembered getting upset during her conversation with Dori and hung her head. That's right. She came back to her room and cried herself to sleep. She sighed. She wished she wouldn't cry so much and worry the others.

The sound of a door opening brought Silvia out of her thoughts and she looked up to see Ithilwen enter the room via the door leading into the bathroom. The she-Elf's brown eyes softened when she saw her awake and glided over to her side, sitting down on the bed before turning to her.

"You have awaken." Ithilwen said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Ithilwen." Silvia replied. "I'm guessing you heard about what happened?"

"Only the small amount I overheard while the Dwarves spoke to each other during lunch. They were worried about you when you did not show up to eat."

Normally Silvia would've blushed but this time she merely sighed.

"No surprise. They always seem to be worried about me."

"It is because they care about you, Silvia. And I have no doubts you feel the same way about them as well."

Silvia found herself smiling.

"You're right. I do care about each and every one of them. They took me in when they didn't have to and I'll always be grateful to them for that." Silvia pulled the covers away in order to get up. "I want to apologize for making them worry for me."

Ithilwen gave her a warm smile.

"I had a feeling you would say that. And I have every intention of making you presentable."

It turned out that Ithilwen had prepared a bath for Silvia and had helped her get ready for the day. The she-Elf had picked out a dark blue dress with transparent blue sleeves. She was glad that the skirt didn't have a train like the sky blue dress from yesterday (which made it easier for her to move around without fear of tripping) but the fact that the neckline was a bit…lower than she would've liked made her feel slightly uncomfortable wearing the dress since it showed a bit of cleavage. It made her wonder what her grandmother was thinking.

As soon as she was deemed ready Ithilwen allowed Silvia to leave and do whatever she wished, so she decided to search around Rivendell for the Dwarves. She first searched the area they had been staying in but they were nowhere to be seen. She continued her search for them (getting lost a few times in the process) but it got to the point that she started getting frustrated for being unable to find anyone. She sighed before taking a seat on the stone bench in the porch-like area she was currently in, running her fingers through her hair as she held her head. If she hadn't gotten lost so many times she might've found them by now, but here she was and still no Dwarves to be seen. She was beginning to have second thoughts about apologizing now…

Silvia looked up when she heard voices in the distance and got up to follow the sound. Only what she found made her stop in place as her eyes widened in mortification.

Well, looked like she found the Dwarves.

However, the state they were in was well…

…

…

…They were frolicking and swimming around in the large fountain without any clothes on (seeing as said clothes were sprawled on the ground in random piles). Silvia blushed profusely before quickly running in the direction she came from, feeling embarrassed for finding the Dwarves doing _that_! There was no way she could unsee that even if she were to try and suppress the thought. She then realized there were only 11 Dwarves fooling around in the fountain and she wasn't sure if she should be relieved or not at the fact that Thorin and Balin hadn't been among the others.

"Are you all right, Miss Silvia?"

Silvia looked up to find Bilbo standing before her looking confused by the state she was in.

"I-I'm fine, Bilbo." She told the Hobbit. "What are you doing here?"

"I was taking the time to look around Rivendell and this is about the last place for me to look at before finishing up."

At this Silvia got up abruptly before grabbing Bilbo by the arm. The Hobbit yelped in surprise by her actions.

"Well consider your tour of Rivendell complete then."

"But it's not!"

"You don't want to go down there."

"Why?"

"Just trust me when I say that!"

At least she could help Bilbo avoid this embarrassing moment.

* * *

Words couldn't describe how embarrassed and awkward Silvia felt while sitting with the Dwarves during dinner. She did her best to avoid eye contact with them as much as possible and she had the feeling they were puzzled by her behavior. She tried eating the food the Elves provided (they finally thought to give the Dwarves some meat and cooked fish for them) but for the most part she would just push it around her plate using the fork she held. It got to the point that Silvia didn't feel hungry and politely dismissed herself from dinner, leaving the area. She didn't get far through the open hallway when a voice stopped her.

"Wait, lass!"

Silvia turned around and was somewhat surprised to see Bofur making his way over to her. She could see the concern on his face as he got closer until he stood before her.

"What's the matter? You left in such a hurry that we got concerned." Bofur told her, the concern in his voice equal to that on his face.

"I'm fine, Bofur. I just wasn't that hungry." Silvia lied.

At this Bofur frowned, giving her a pointed look.

"Silvia." He started, all hints of the Dwarf's laid back nature absent from his voice. She gulped at how serious Bofur was, having been caught off guard since she'd never seen him like this. "I'm gonna have to call you out on that little white lie of yours. We both know that you missed breakfast and lunch today so you should be hungry. Second of all you've avoided looking at us this entire time."

Silvia was silent as she looked away, knowing that she'd been caught and he had a good point. When nothing was said Bofur sighed before gently (yet firmly) grabbing her arm.

"Come on. Let's take this discussion somewhere else."

"But you haven't finished eating."

"It'll take more than that to get me to drop this issue. And just so you know I've ate enough to satisfy my hunger for now."

Silvia groan a bit as she realized she couldn't talk her way out of this discussion. Bofur was determined to get to the bottom of this, and given the stubbornness of Dwarves this didn't' come as such a surprise to her. She was forced to follow the Dwarf to whatever place he had in mind, but what she didn't expect was for him to choose a garden that was different than the one she'd spent most of her time in. Compared to the one she was used to this garden seemed more secluded, the perfect place to hold a private conversation without having to worry about being overheard by others.

Bofur guided Silvia over to one of the stone benches in the garden and had her sit down before taking a seat beside her, his feet barely touching the ground due to his height. It was quiet between the two and the only sounds she could hear were the sounds of Rivendell—the sounds of waterfalls in the distance along with the sound of the wind gently blowing through the trees and the occasional bird chirping a soft tune—and their own breathing. The silence was broken when she heard a scraping sound and turned to see that Bofur lit a match to burn the bit of tobacco inside the pipe he held, blowing the small flame out before bringing the object to his mouth to take a drag. She watched as the Dwarf smoked quietly and how he created smoke rings that floated lazily through the air, finding the sight almost calming.

"How about you explain to me what's bother you?" Bofur asked after awhile, thought it was more of a statement than a question.

"There's nothing bothering me." She insisted.

"Now that's the problem. And you can't exactly fix a problem unless you know what the problem is. So I want to know what your problem is so I can help you fix it."

Silvia was hesitant to tell Bofur what was wrong, seeing as she was still trying to forget what she saw earlier that day. She blushed as she recalled the memory and covered her face with her hands.

"I can't! It's too embarrassing!"

"It can't be _that _bad."

"It is. It's what I saw earlier today."

"Yes, go on."

"It was what you were all doing at the fountain!"

Bofur was quiet after Silvia told him this and she expected the worst. What she didn't expect was to hear the Dwarf chuckling beside her. She removed her hands from her face to stare at him, wondering what was so funny.

"That explains why you're acting odd. We were all thinking you were still upset from last night, but it turns out you're just feeling…awkward..." Bofur trailed off a bit before turning to her. "Okay, I can see where you're coming from. We didn't mean for you to see that. In fact, we didn't even know you were there to begin with. If anything it was an accident that you stumbled upon us."

"Bofur, I know you're trying to help but I don't think you're making this any better for me."

"You're right, lass. I'm sorry for making things worse." Silvia was surprised when Bofur suddenly stood up before turning to her, a huge grin on his face. "I think this would be the perfect time to make it up to you. Come on!"

The Dwarf then ran off and Silvia was forced to rush after him in order to catch up. She was confused as she followed him in the direction where the Dwarves stayed.

"What're you planning, Bofur?" Silvia asked.

"It's not just _my _plan at all, Lady Silvia. It's the others as well."

"Then let me rephrase: What're you _all_ planning?"

"Getting you to dance with us! You gave your word after all."

Silvia was about to protest but decided against it. If yesterday wasn't proof enough then she knew Bofur would twist her words to suit him and the others.

"Bofur…"

"Don't be like that! It'll be fun for all of us! Not to mention the dress you're wearing is perfect for the occasion."

Silvia blushed when Bofur winked at her. Eventually they reached the Dwarves' quarters where everyone (including Bilbo) was waiting for them. She was surprised to see that some of the Dwarves had instruments such as Fili and Kili having fiddles, Bombur having a drum, Bofur a clarinet, Nori a flute, and—to her surprise—Thorin having a golden handheld harp. Silvia gulped as she realized these Dwarves (and Hobbit) were dead set on getting her to dance.

"Looks like we're ready to liven things up here." Bofur said, taking a spot beside Bombur.

Silvia looked around nervously at everyone as they were getting ready, but then she saw Thorin waving her over. At this she went over to the Dwarf leader and stood before him, his eyes regarding her before he spoke.

"Don't be afraid." He told her quietly. "Let the music guide your steps as you dance among us."

Surprised by his words of encouragement Silvia nodded to Thorin before making her way to the space everyone cleared for dancing. She was anxious as she waited for the Dwarves to start playing and when it did she hesitated. She looked around uneasily at everyone (who were expecting her to dance) and when she looked to Thorin he nodded towards her, catching on to how she must've felt. She took a deep breath and released it before closing her eyes to calm herself down, and eventually found herself swaying a bit to the music. It wasn't long until she started getting into it and the music sped up to a cheerful sounding tune, hearing some of the Dwarves tapping their feet on the stone floor to the beat and rhythm.

She was surprised one of the Dwarves that wasn't playing an instrument approached her before grabbing her hands and getting her to dance with them. Eventually Silvia was passed to another Dwarf to dance with, a huge smile appearing on her face as the process of being passed from one Dwarf to another was repeated. There were instances where some of the Dwarves switched places with those playing instruments so they could have a chance dancing with her. During the excitement Bilbo managed to get the courage to join in much to her joy and she was glad to see him getting comfortable around the others.

* * *

He couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face as he watched Silvia dance with everyone. It was different than the way they saw her dance when she was among the Elves last night, more vibrant in comparison to the more composed way of the immortal beings. But nonetheless she was happy and enjoying herself. He was glad to see her smiling after what happened the other night, along with how radiant they made her appear at that moment.

One of the things he'd noticed when they first saw her that day (at dinner) was the dark blue dress she wore, along with how the neckline seemed to…dip. Regardless of that it was fascinating to see how the skirt flowed around her legs like water as she spun and twirled around dancing. It would seem the Elves liked dressing her up in the gowns she wore during their stay in Rivendell, he mused. He remembered how surprised they all were when they saw Silvia in the lavender dress she wore after they arrived in Rivendell, especially with how clean she appeared when compared to how she was when she'd been traveling with them in the wilderness. True there hadn't been any chances for her to clean up while on the road, but there was no denying how drastic she looked after a simple (yet proper) bath. But he digressed.

Eventually his turn came and he soon found himself dancing with Silvia, doing his best to keep tempo with the music playing. At one point he messed up a bit (much to his embarrassment) but upon hearing her laughter he mentally sighed in relief, realizing she hadn't noticed his blunder. Despite how she'd tried to protest against the idea of dancing with them (tried being the key word, given the method the Company used to drag her into it during breakfast yesterday) Silvia was enjoying herself once she managed to step out of her comfort zone and express herself completely. And to see her happy was worth the time and effort.

* * *

Silvia sat down with the Company around the recently made fire, her heart still pounding in her chest from all the excitement. Everyone had so much fun dancing that they lost track of how much time had passed and it wasn't until the sky got dark that they decided to end their activity. It wasn't until she sat down that she noticed how sore her feet were or how slightly out of breath she was, but she didn't mind since she had enjoyed dancing with everyone. She had felt so free while everyone seemed to forget their worries.

During that time there was no dragon or Orcs to worry about, no lost kingdom or home to reclaim, no prejudices against Elves, or secrets concerning ones origin. There was only a group of 13 Dwarves, one Hobbit, and one girl having fun by dancing together.

But they all knew it would have to come to an end. After all, there was a dragon that needed to be dealt with, a home that needed to be reclaimed, and a road they had to travel to complete their journey.

Silvia's thoughts were interrupted when a hand was placed on her shoulder and turned around to find Thorin behind her, his face lit dimly in the light of the fire as his blue eyes gazed down at her.

"Come with me." He ordered softly, leaving no room for her to object.

Curious, she got up and followed the Dwarf leader out of the area and through the hallway. At first she wondered where they were going but then the two were walking into the garden she and Bofur went to after she left dinner. And judging by Thorin's choice of location Silvia had a feeling she knew what he wanted to discuss.

"You're wondering why I brought you here?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"I do, but I'm under the impression that what you want to discuss with me is important, if the choice of location was any indication." She replied.

She was surprised when Thorin chuckled quietly.

"You wouldn't be wrong. Quite observant on your part."

Thorin turned around to face her, the small smile disappearing as he regarded her. His blue eyes pierced into her own as he seemed to search for something in there that only he and he alone could find. As much as she felt the urge to divert her eyes something told her not to do so. Thorin seemed to find what he was looking for and sighed quietly.

"I know what I must do." He whispered.

"What do you mean, Thorin?" She asked, feeling confused.

"I look at your eyes and already see your answer, but I need to hear you say it in your own words. By this point you know full well that our quest is a dangerous one. The dangers you've encountered while traveling with us is only but a taste of what we might encounter from this point on in our journey. So I ask you for the sake of giving you an option to do so: will you choose to stay here with the Elves, where you'll be safe, or will you continue to travel with the Company, where the chances of you being in harm's way are higher?"

So she had been right. Silvia had a feeling that Thorin would confront her on this matter at some point during their stay in Rivendell, and if this discussion was any indication then they were possibly leaving soon. Did the others know about this, that there was a possibility of her staying behind if either she or Thorin (if he hadn't given her the option to) decided what to do with her?

Silvia honestly thought about her decision, knowing that the Dwarf before her would want her to do just that.

What reason would she have for staying with the Company when all she could do was cook and help out around camp? She didn't know how to defend herself, let alone use a weapon. She'd be more of a burden, especially if the incident with the Warg wasn't proof enough.

Then there was the option of them leaving her in Rivendell where she would be safe, not having to worry about being killed by Trolls, Wargs, or Orcs. She would be around her only remaining relative even if she didn't tell Ithilwen about it. She had more reason to stay if anything.

But then she would greatly miss those she had come to care about and considered her friends. They had been there when she first woke up with no memory of herself save her own name and age. If she chose to stay behind Silvia knew she would regret her choice every day and worry about each and every one of them.

When it all came down to it Silvia knew her choice.

"I choose to continue traveling with the Company, Thorin." Silvia said.

"Are you sure of your decision?" Thorin asked. "Even though you know of the risks you're taking?"

"I promised you my loyalty."

"I thought as much." Thorin went up before placing a hand on her shoulder. "I would suggest you go get some rest now while you still can, Lady Silvia."

"Why?"

"We leave at dawn. By now the Elves would know of our purpose for coming here and try to stop us."

* * *

ATE: Explanation Time!

(1) Bofur: Now I had fun writing Bofur in this chapter. I know that most of the time he's mostly cheerful and optimistic, but here I wanted to show him in a more...serious? Mature? I don't know the right word, but I wanted to show that he could be more than just a cheerful and laid back person. I liked having Silvia interact with him in this chapter.

(2) The Dwarves' instruments: So, I know that in the movie we only see Bofur (and Dwalin, if you count the behind the scenes from the first movie where he's shown playing a fiddle) playing a instrument. In the book the Dwarves were playing the following instruments (in order of being mentioned):

Fili and Kili = Fiddles  
Bombur = Drum  
Ori, Nori, Dori = Flutes  
Bifur and Bofur – Clarinets  
Thorin = Harp  
Balin and Dwalin = Viols

It was a shame Peter Jackson didn't include the Dwarves playing instruments in Bag End. I decided to remedy this by having a few of them playing their instruments and taking turns taking over while the others dance with Silvia.

(3) Silvia dancing with the Company: We all knew this was going to happen since Chapter 11. I had everything planned out with how Silvia would be able to dance with everyone in the Company by having the Dwarves take turns dancing before having to switch with ones playing instruments (such as Nori switching out with one of his brothers so he can have a chance to dance; although since there aren't any viols, Balin would have o switch out with Thorin while Dwalin would switch out with Fili and Kili) I determined this by the little bit I wrote down as far as the instruments the Dwarves played in the book. What's funny is that when I was writing the part with Silvia dancing with everyone I listened to the song Flaming Red Hair from the LOTR Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack (the song that plays during Bilbo and Frodo's birthday when the Hobbits are dancing and partying). Also the dancing was supposed to mirror that from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (which I don't own at all).

(4) Thorin: Just like back Chapter 6 Thorin may be a bit OOC in this chapter. Also, for the bit with Silvia talking with Thorin, I felt that with everything that's happened so far he'd probably be conflicted on what to do as far as Silvia's concerned. But seeing as Silvia has been with the Company since Chapter 2 and that everyone has gotten attached to her, he felt that it was only right to give her a choice of what to do (seeing as she didn't sign a contract, though I get the feeling that she would've spent hours trying to read and understand the terms in the same contract Bilbo was given and asking either Balin or Bofur countless questions about certain parts of said contract) since the Company is leaving Rivendell in the next chapter. It's really says something about the Company's attachment to Silvia and how well they know her if Thorin was able to tell what her choice was going to be before he even asked.

Now I also have more images to share from my DA account (Aerith-The-Evenstar)! And a total of 4 images! Here's the list:  
*Silvia - Rivendell Dance Dress: The image of the dress that appears in this chapter.  
*Silvia - Rivendell Dress Set: All the dresses that Silvia wears during her stay in Rivendell.  
*Richard: An image of Silvia's father to show what he looks like.  
*Emily - Silvia's Stepmother: An image of Silvia's stepmother so that you call can finally know what she looks like.

Next chapter the Company finally leaves Rivendell and continues the rest of the movie's plot, along with some surprises thrown into the mix!

So what did you all think? Any thoughts or questions? Leave a review behind with whatever's on your mind and I'll soon reply! Hey, that's rhymed! ;D


	15. Leaving Rivendell

ATE: Hey everyone! We're finally leaving Rivendell! Thanks go out to **VG fan1**, **Guest**, and **Eruwaedhiel95** for their reviews from Chapter 14 (and Chapter 3 on **Guest's **part).

Now to respond to my guest reviewers:

**VG fan 1**: I know right? Silvia and the Dwarves (and Bilbo) needed to do something fun while they still could and dancing was the first idea I came up with when Silvia first danced at the festival the Elves had.

Now for your question! I find it funny how you're one of the few people that have pointed out the mysterious person's POV or their opinion. And you're right in guessing that it was it was my intention to keep the person's identity a secret to make all of you readers guessing who they are. If it's killing you to try and figure it out then I'm doing my job right!

**Guest**: I know you only reviewed Chapter 3, but if you keep reading through the story, you'll find out that this story is not, in fact, a Bilbo/Silvia fic.

* * *

~*~Chapter 14~*~

Silvia was pulled out of her sleep when she heard the sound of someone knocking on the door of her room. Thinking it was one of the members of the Company she lethargically got out of the warm bed and made her way to the door to answer it. Only to find that it wasn't a Dwarf or Hobbit waiting outside.

"Ithilwen?" She whispered.

Indeed Ithilwen stood before her carrying what looked to be clothes, a satchel, and…a sword? Already Silvia was confused by the fact the she-Elf was visiting her but with all these things with her? Why did she have them in the first place? As if sensing her confusion Ithilwen smiled softly.

"I know that you and your companions will be leaving Rivendell, for the dawn is naught but an hour or so away." Ithilwen said, gracefully gliding into the room before shutting the door behind her. "I was told to give you adequate clothing and this blade for your journey, along with any provisions deemed necessary."

"I don't understand. How do you even know?"

"The Lady of Light foresaw it and requested that I prepare you."

At first Silvia was confused as she wondered who the Lady of Light was, only to have her eyes widened when she realized Ithilwen was referring to Lady Galadriel. She knew about the Company leaving and that was why…! She clenched a hand over her heart as she realized she'd have to say goodbye to her grandmother and who knew how long it would be before she saw the she-Elf again?

Ithilwen set the objects she was carrying down on the bed before preparing Silvia for her journey. The traveling clothes turned out to be a long maroon colored dress like coat (a surcoat?) that had an opening in the front to allow her enough leg room to move around completely unhindered while it buttoned close at the top. Underneath she wore a dark blue long sleeved shirt along with a pair of pants of the same color. Long dark brown boots (that came up past her knees) made of what seemed similar to leather (but was more flexible and just as durable) were worn on her feet and were surprisingly comfortable despite their appearance. Also provided to her was a gray colored armor vest that was worn over her chest while dark brown fingerless gloves that came up to below her elbows adorn her arms, giving her some protection if she were ever in danger.

"This outfit was designed with traveling in mind, as well as providing protection. They will serve you well." The she-Elf explained before picking up the sword she brought. "You once told me that you wished you could repay your companion with more than what you are currently capable of. Which is why this blade has been bestowed upon you."

Silvia slowed reached out for the sword Ithilwen held out to her. She was surprised at how light it was, having expected it to be heavier due to its size and the metal it was made of. The sword itself was simple yet elegant in design, the hilt being made of smooth dark red wood engraved with gold etchings that spiraled around the slightly curved handle in a fashion similar to vines. Grasping the handle, Silvia was able to pull the sword out of the sheath with little effort before observing it. The blade itself was slightly curved, not overly so but enough to be almost noticeable and not be considered straight. The sword itself ended up being as long as her own arm.*

"It's so light." Silvia said.

"Elvish blades are known for being light, making them suitable for those who have never wielded a sword before. This sword is an ideal choice if you ever need to defend yourself."

Silvia glanced up at Ithilwen as she became aware of what she was implying. She sheathed the blade before wrapping both hands around it gingerly. She was finally given the means to do more for the Company, to actually be less of a liability than she was before. But now that she held this Elvish sword in her hands she found that she was suddenly anxious and scared. Even her hands were trembling at the mere thought of wielding a sword now entailed.

'_Was this how Bilbo felt?_' She thought, recalling when the Hobbit received his sword.

Silvia was pulled away from her thoughts when the sword was taken out of her hands, only to be replaced by a pair of soft warm hands grasping her trembling ones tenderly. She glanced up to see Ithilwen giving her a look of understanding, likely aware of how she was probably feeling at that moment.

"I know that you are scared. You are young and inexperienced with every right to feel as you do now. And yet in your eyes I see you have a desire to protect those you hold near and dear to your heart. It is that desire that will give you the courage you need when the times comes."

"But I don't know how to use a sword."

"What you say is true but with time you will learn."

Ithilwen handed Silvia the satchel on the bed and gestured for her to have a look through it. She did so and when she looked inside the first thing she noticed was what looked to be large green leaves wrapped around 10 large square shaped objects (or was it the other way around?).

"What are these?" She asked, pulling out one of the square objects, the texture of the leaf feeling somewhat waxy to the touch.

"It is called lembas, or waybread in the common tongue. One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man. It will stay fresh as long as you keep it wrapped in the mallorn leaves as they are now, which makes it ideal for long journeys. Be warned that you are to only eat this when needed, for they are to be used when you have no other option for food."

Silvia nodded before placing the lembas back in the satchel before turning back to continue her search, finding a water skin, a dark blue cloak, and then-!

"My dress!" Silvia gasped quietly, her eyes wide in surprise.

"I thought you would preferred to have your dress returned before you left. It is fortunate that it was finished in time."

Silvia was touched. Ithilwen did all this for her, even if it was on Galadriel's behalf to provide what she'd need for this journey. She hadn't expected any of this at all and yet here she was having been given traveling clothes, a sword, and provisions.

"Thank you, Ithilwen. I can't express how grateful I am for all this."

Silvia was taken by surprise when Ithilwen pulled her in for a hug, holding her close as she stroke the back of her head tenderly. She tried her best to hold back the tears forming in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around the she-Elf in return. Her heart ached slightly because of how motherly Ithilwen was towards her in that moment, which made saying goodbye to her grandmother that much harder. Silvia knew she would miss her once she left Rivendell and silently promised to see her when the quest was over.

"I know not what you will encounter on the road you will travel, but I will pray for your safety." Ithilwen whispered, her voice sounding wistful. "May the Valar watch over you, Silvia."

With that Ithilwen pulled away before leaving, softly shutting the door behind her. Silvia stared at the door and suddenly felt cold from the absence of the she-Elf's warmth. And that was when she found herself silently crying as she was no longer able to hold the tears back. She felt vulnerable despite the armor she was given to protect herself with. Maybe everyone was right to view her as a scared child, for that is what she felt like currently. When would she stop feeling like this? When would she get her memories back? Would she even get them back at all?*

Silvia started rubbing her eyes to get rid of the tears, coming to a sudden revelation. It didn't matter if her memories returned or not. And even if they did she wouldn't let them change who she was now, especially if her personality was vastly different before she got amnesia. What mattered was that she had an opportunity to change herself, for better or worse. She turned towards the bed where her new sword had been placed before grabbing it. Unsheathing it she admired the blade and how the light from the upcoming dawn reflected off its smooth off its smooth surface.

'_Yes._' She thought. '_I have the chance to change._'

Silvia sheathed the sword before hiding it out of sight on her person, slung the satchel on her back, and made her way towards the door to leave. As soon as she opened the door she found Bilbo standing right outside with a fist raised as if he'd been about to knock, which (ironically enough) was the case.

"Oh, Miss Silvia!" The Hobbit exclaimed quietly, looking just as surprised as she was. He realized his fist was still raised and quickly lowered it to his side. "I was about to…" He then trailed off as he noticed her appearance and looked her over with a puzzled look. "Where did you get those clothes?"

"I found them." Was the first thing that came into her head and blurted out.

It seemed to work or Bilbo was too tired to really think about it.

"I see." Bilbo then let out a yawn, covering his mouth with his hand. "Well, come along. The others are waiting, but you must remain quiet."

Silvia followed quietly after Bilbo to wherever the others were waiting; it didn't take them long to find them. And (just like the Hobbit) the Dwarves were surprised by her new outfit but whatever they wanted to say they kept quiet for the time being.

* * *

After all they needed to sneak out of Rivendell without getting caught (although they had a close call). During that time Silvia had made sure to keep her sword hidden from everyone; she knew they would question her about it if their inquires about her satchel wasn't proof enough.

It turned out that the Company left Gandalf behind since the Grey Wizard knew the Elves would stop them, which was why he stayed to provide a distraction. Silvia didn't like the idea of him being absent (seeing as when he hadn't been around they'd almost been eaten by Trolls), but if it meant the Company could continue their journey unhindered then it was worth it. And knowing the older man he had a tendency of showing up when they needed him most.

The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon by the time the Company managed to leave the valley and glancing over her shoulder Silvia could see the morning light bathe Rivendell in a soft glow. Her heart felt heavy as she gazed at the Last Homely House, knowing this would be the last she saw of it for some time. She would miss this place but then she reminded herself that it was her choice to continue traveling with her friends. And even Lady Galadriel knew this which was why she had Ithilwen provide her the things she currently had in her possession. Whether the Lady of Light knew it or not Silvia was grateful that the she-Elf gave her the chance to help the Dwarves.

Silvia jumped when a hand was placed on her shoulder and turned to see Balin giving her an understanding smile.

"I'm sure you'll be able to come back and visit someday, lass." The old Dwarf told her kindly. "But for now we must press forward towards the Misty Mountains."

"How long will it take to get there?" Silvia asked.

"A little longer than if we still had the ponies."

Silvia could see how losing the ponies had changed everything when it came to their journey. While they had been able to cover more ground with the animals and save time their absence made that much difference. They had to walk on foot while carrying their belongings on their backs.

"Be on your guard. We're about to step over the Edge of the Wild." Thorin said before stepping off to the side and stood. He turned to face Balin. "Balin, you know these paths. Lead on."

"Aye." Balin replied.

Silvia simply followed allowed close to Balin and Dwalin as they passed Thorin. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't worried about the dangers of the wilderness. She was scared but she knew there was nothing she could do about the fear she felt.

"Dwalin, will the wilds be as dangerous as Thorin is implying?" She asked.

Dwalin turned to Silvia, regarding her with a scrutinizing expression before responding.

"You'll be fine." He simply told her.

Silvia couldn't help but smile, realizing what he meant. She wouldn't have to worry about being in danger because she had the Company, which was a comforting thought in and of itself.

"Master Baggins, I suggest you keep up." Silvia could faintly hear Thorin say from behind.

* * *

Their progress was slower and after hours of walking her feet felt sore even with how comfortable her traveling boots were, the heat of the sun bearing down on them made her sweat under the layers of clothing she wore with her only saving grace being the cool breeze blowing that day. She was surprised by how thirsty she would get but she knew that there was only a limited amount of water the water skin she was given could hold so she drank from it sparingly in order to make it last until they found a source of water.

Despite all these problems Silvia chose not to complain to the others, knowing that they didn't need to be bother by something so trivial (they probably felt the same way now if not later) and give them more reason to see her as a liability.

"How are you holding up, lass?" Bofur asked, having fallen behind so he could walk beside her.

It was funny how some of the Dwarves would ask her that question throughout the day—it almost seemed to be their favorite question to ask her—and she was aware it was because they knew she wasn't used to traveling on foot, let alone traveling in general. Silvia appreciated their concern for her well-being but she didn't want to slow them down for her sake. Just grin and bear it, she told herself.

Bofur gave her a skeptical look before letting out a dramatic sigh (she tried not to laugh at his antics).

"If you say so. Just know that if you need a few minutes of rest you let one of us know."

"I will."

Even though she told Bofur she would tell one of them when she needed a break she didn't really mean it. Whatever it took she wouldn't want to slow the Dwarves or Bilbo down. They couldn't afford the inconvenience.

By the time they stopped to make camp that night everyone was ready to rest. Silvia helped Bombur cook dinner (though it was more like he was teaching her which she enjoyed whenever the opportunity arose), while Bofur had gone over to the nearby stream to refill everyone's water skins. Since there were no ponies to watch Fili and Kili were free to help Bilbo gather mushrooms, herbs, or any kind of animals they could scavenge to add more substance to their meal in place of Bofur. For the most part everything was quiet aside from the conversations everyone had among each other.

Bofur returned from the stream a few minutes before Bilbo, Fili, and Kili came back with whatever they could find (a few mushrooms, herbs, and two small rabbits); the three handed over their findings to the older Dwarf before going off to socialize.

"Why don't you go and help Bofur?" Bombur suggested.

"What about the soup?" Silvia asked.

"There isn't much we can do at this point since it's just simmering. I can take over from here."

"Thank you, Bombur."

Silvia gave Bombur a smile before heading over to Bofur, who was currently in the process of sorting the herbs found. He must've heard her approaching since he looked up and smiled.

"Is there something you need, Lady Silvia?" Bofur inquired.

"Not really. I was just wondering if you needed any help."

"Well sit down then. I can always use an extra pair of hands when it comes to this sort of thing."

So that was how Silvia ended up helping Bofur. The Dwarf would have her identify the herbs they sorted (most likely knowing it'd been awhile since she last did so and that she might've forgotten), only labeling a few of them wrong to which he simply corrected her and even went as far as providing a way to know which was which. After finishing with the shorting and giving the mushrooms and herbs to Bombur (which would help the soup gain some flavor while waiting) it was time to work on the rabbits.

"I want to see if I remember the process of taking care of the rabbit." She told him after she was handed one of the rabbits and a knife. Bofur raised an eyebrow at this and Silvia held back the urge to laugh at how comical he looked. "If it means anything you could always point out if I'm doing anything wrong."

"Understandable." He agreed. "This will be a good opportunity for you to practice."

Silvia set to work skinning the small rabbit she held, being careful not to cut herself with the knife. When it came time to remove the guts and organs her nose scrunched up at the sight (and smell). It was funny how her reaction to the first time she did this was almost the same except that she knew what to expect now.

"So what do you think of traveling on foot?" Bofur asked.

"It's different than traveling by horse or pony." She replied. "A little more tiring, but at least it's easier to enjoy the scenery at times."

"True, though the journey would take less time if we still had our mounts."

"I think it's better this way. We don't have to worry about another Troll incident."

Bofur laughed at this when he saw her point.

"Oh, lass! By now Trolls would be the least of our problems."

Eventually dinner was served and everyone ate their fill. Silvia had been confused as to how the Dwarves and Bilbo could eat so much when she could only handle a serving or two from the large bowl she ate from, and that led them to explain the differences between Men, Dwarves, and Hobbits when it came to their appetites. Afterwards everyone quietly settled down for the night with a few of them smoking their pipes as they relaxed. Silvia chose to fall asleep on the bedroll they let her use that night.

* * *

_Silvia was confused to find herself observing a couple and their child playing in what appeared to be a yard in front of a house, the sound of their laughter reaching her ears. The man picked up the little girl and his blue eyes sparkled when her tiny hands proceeded to mess up his black hair. The older woman soon came up to them before placing a kiss on their cheeks each and smiled lovingly at them. The little girl turned to face the woman before reaching her arms out to her clearly wanting to be held by her. The woman laughed before doing so and held her close._

"_I think it's time we headed in, Meril." The man said._

_Silvia's eyes widened at this. 'Meril'? It couldn't be! She looked at the woman, seeing that she was beautiful with blonde hair that went a bit past her waist and the warm brown eyes that seemed to light up when she smiled looked familiar. She noticed how her hair had been strategically placed to hide the tips of her ears, and she realized why the woman seemed familiar._

_This was Ithilwen's daughter, Merildis._

_Silvia's mother._

_Then that meant that the man was her father, Richard._

_Which also meant the little girl was herself._

"_Mom! Dad!" She called out._

_But it seemed they couldn't hear her._

_The scene changed to show Richard with the Woman who had brown hair and green eyes in a living room while her younger self (who was a few years older now) sat on the floor as they watched TV. The Woman got up from the couch and was about to leave when she turned to face Richard._

"_Do you want anything to drink?" She asked._

"_I'm fine, Emily." He answered._

_Richard turned to face the TV and Silvia saw the heated glare Emily sent to her younger self before leaving the room, the child oblivious about it. When she was gone she saw the depressed look on the man's face and his blue eyes expressed a sense of longing. She felt sad as she realized that this had to be some time after Merildis' death, which meant Emily was her stepmother._

_The woman who tried to kill her._

_The scene changed again and Silvia found herself walking through a hallway as if she were really there. However she wasn't able to control her actions as she peered around a corner. She spotted Richard sitting in a chair as he watched a video showing her younger self playing around with Merildis, tears in his eyes as he took a swig from the almost empty bottle he held in his hands. He seemed to be unaware of her presence as she snuck up to him, and horror struck her when she saw a glove covered hand raise a gun to the side of his head._

_No! NO!_

* * *

"Dad!"

Silvia at up abruptly, her heart beating fast as she frantically looked around at her surroundings. Only to realize that she was still in camp surrounded by sleeping Dwarves and she was thankful that her outburst hadn't disturbed them.

"Are you all right, Miss Silvia?"

Her head shot in the direction of the voice to find Bilbo standing next to her with a concerned look on his face. Behind him Bofur sat before the fire smoking his pipe and Silvia realized they were both on watch duty. Without thinking she suddenly latched onto Bilbo, her arms wrapping around the startled Hobbit as she started crying from what she saw

*Bilbo, however, tensed up at this before awkwardly patting Silvia on the back since he wasn't sure what to do in such a situation. He never had to really comfort someone before, least of all a woman. This…wasn't what he was expecting when he decided to come over here. Whatever it was she dreamed about must've spooked her out or something given her reaction. And it must've had something to do with her father since she cried out for him. What was he supposed to do in this situation?

'_Think, Bilbo, think!_' He told himself.

He thought back to his own childhood while growing up in the Shire, which made Bilbo feel nostalgic of the past. His mother, Belladonna Took, had loved him despite the sort of trouble he got himself in from time to time, just like any other child. There had been a time when he had nightmares of his own where he'd been attacked by wolves and his mother had comforted him and told him it would be all right.

…It was worth a shot.

"Shhh… Shhh…" He quietly shushed to Silvia. "It's all right. It was just a dream."

Suddenly feeling awkward Bilbo looked around to see if any of the Dwarves were watching, but it turned out Bofur was giving him a puzzled look with a raised eyebrow. He felt his face heat up in embarrassment as he realized he'd been watching.

Okay, this situation got more awkward than it should have.

Silvia managed to calm down once she finished crying and realized she was still holding onto Bilbo. She pulled away feeling embarrassed for crying on the awkward Hobbit who had to deal with her. She looked down at her lap as she blushed.

"Sorry, Bilbo." She said quietly.

"N-no! It's quite all right!" He stammered a bit. "You just had a nightmare I presume."

'_If only it were…_' Silvia thought, aware that what she saw were memories. Her memories.

"I'm fine now, thank you. And sorry to worry you."

Silvia glanced up at Bilbo to see him nodding a bit.

"Right…" He murmured, sounding as if he were talking to himself. "Right. Good, good, good. Good to _hear_. I'd best be going."

With that Bilbo quickly walked back to join Bofur as they continued their watch duty. Silvia laid down on her side with her back facing the fire but was unable to fall back asleep. She was too scared to do so lest she saw the conclusion of what happened to her father. And the worst part was that she'd seen it through her own eyes. Had she been the one to do it or had it been someone else? Who could've done it? Who could've done such a thing to a man still mourning the loss of his first wife?

That night Silvia stayed awake.

* * *

ATE: Explanation time!

(1) Silvia's new outfit: The reason for Silvia's new outfit is because, realistically, the dress she was wearing since the beginning isn't exactly ideal for traveling, especially where the Company is going. What's funny is that the original description of Silvia's traveling clothes was completely different which I then changed to what it is here. I even have the image (along with the original/concept outfit as well) posted on my DA account.

(2) Silvia's sword: It was really hard for me to describe this sword, seeing as I based it off of Arwen's sword Hadhafang. I've always liked the design of the sword and I can see Silvia using this. As for Elvish sword being light, I don't know if this is true but I've always been under the impression that the Elves were capable of making their weapons light weight compared to the weapons forged by Men and Dwarves.

(3) Silvia and Ithilwen: I was inspired by the part where Frodo and Bilbo are saying goodbye in Fellowship of the Ring before he and the Fellowship head off from Rivendell. In an ironic sort of way I thought this was a fitting parallel that occurred unintentionally and I was in fact listening to the music from that part. I wanted to show how attached Silvia had become with Ithilwen even though they've only known each other for three days, but by this point we know that this attachment stems from the familial bond they have as grandmother/granddaughter. Which leads into the next point I make.

(4) Silvia's breakdown: In all honesty, what person wouldn't have a breakdown if you were in Silvia's shoes? Believe it or not I drew from how I've felt with being away from my own family and then it started writing itself from there. You have to remember that Silvia had recently learned that she's related to Ithilwen and it's hard being parted/away from family. Being given a sword (and her wanting to repay the Dwarves for taking her in) she's suddenly aware of what owning a weapon means (which I like to believe Bilbo realized when Gandalf gave him Sting) and the fact that she'll have to use it at some point scares her. Even though she's 18 her amnesia kinda gives her the mentality of a child.

(5) Dwalin: I've always been under the impression that Dwalin is a man (or Dwarf) of few words, and I wanted to reflect that with his interaction with Silvia (or the other way around). Need I say more (see what I did there)?

(6) Silvia's dream/nightmare: This is the start of Silvia regaining her memories, but with good memories come bad ones as well. I wanted to show that the last bit really got to Silvia and scared her enough that she be unable to go back to sleep.

(7) Bilbo's POV: I thought it would've been appropriate to include Bilbo's POV when I did seeing as I've really haven't given him much attention in awhile (which I apologize immensely to all Bilbo fans out there). I wanted to try and explore Bilbo's past/character a bit and what I wrote was the result.

Now I have the image of Silvia's traveling clothes on my DA account (Aerith-The-Evenstar). It'll be called 'Silvia - Travel Clothes (Set)' which shows the details of the outfit along with the original outfit that ended up becoming a concept.

What did you all think? Like it? Hate it? Have questions? Please leave a review and I'll respond back to you! ;D


	16. Recognizing One's Limits

ATE: I'm proud to tell you that I completed this chapter back in 8/10/14, just so you know how long this bit was written ahead of time! Big thanks go out to **Eruwaedhiel95**, **Lelleg**, and **VG fan 1** for their reviews on the last chapter and everyone else for still reading.

Now to address the guest(s) that reviewed:

**VG fan 1**: I'm sure you'll be on the lookout now. It's almost like you're looking for Waldo, but without Waldo (I don't own that either)! Maybe you'll find some hints in this chapter. :) As for Silvia's nightmare, it was the first one she had so far, but that doesn't mean it's the last one.

Declaimer: I don't own The Hobbit or LOTR and never will. I only own my OCs.

* * *

~*~Chapter 15~*~ 

The next few days of traveling proved to be tedious for Silvia. Ever since her nightmare (this is what she decided to call it for lack of a better term) she refused to fall asleep at night and did her best to hide this fact from the others. She forced herself to keep walking despite how sore and exhausted she was since she didn't want to slow the Company down. From what she learned so far the Dwarves couldn't afford to be delay if they wanted to reach the Lonely Mountain by Durin's Day.

At one point Silvia had stumbled over the rocky terrain they were traversing through and would've fallen if it hadn't been for Bifur catching her.

"Sorry. Must've tripped over something." She told him sheepishly.

Bifur seemed to regard her for a moment before patting her shoulder in reassurance. Silvia managed to compose herself and continue on while being mindful of her footsteps. She hadn't been aware of the others noticing the dark circles under her eyes or the looks they gave each other.

"We'll make camp here." Thorin announced an hour later.

Silvia was confused. She knew for a fact that it was too early to set up camp and that they could've spent the rest of the time they had left traveling a few more miles or so ahead. Sure the location Thorin picked was ideal and all but they were wasting precious time by stopping now. Not that she was complaining or anything.

She pulled her satchel off her back and set it down on the ground before going over to Bofur and Bombur who were working on lighting a fire. What she didn't expect was to see the frown on Bofur's face when he glanced up at her.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"What do you mean by that, Bofur? I came over to help, like I usually do." She told him, confused by the Dwarf's odd behavior.

"Not this time, lass!" Bofur suddenly stood up before firmly grabbing her arm. "You're going to sit down and rest for now."

Silvia wasn't expecting the Dwarf to take her over to a relatively flat rock and force her to sit there before walking back to resume his job. What was going on? She knew she had to help since those were the terms she and Thorin agreed upon. If she didn't do something she'd be forced to leave the Company. She didn't want to be left alone in the wilderness. She got up and went over to Balin who was busy unpacking a few things.

"Balin." She called, causing the elderly Dwarf to turn to her. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"We're okay, Lady Silvia. We've got everything under control. Why don't you sit down and rest for a bit."

"But I'm not tired."

"Nonsense!" Like with Bofur, Balin escorted Silvia back over to the rock she'd been at only gentler. "You may not have noticed but we've been traveling for such a long time." That was a lie! "We decided to use our break to make camp earlier."

Balin gave Silvia a brief smile before leaving her alone. She knew there was more to it than what he was telling her. She waited a few minutes before trying again, but right when she was about to talk with Oin she was suddenly picked up and slung over someone's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Put me down!" She said, struggling in her captor's hold.

"Quit your squirming!"

Silvia's face paled as she realized it was Dwalin carrying her and all of her efforts to escape ceased. She knew better than to get on the gruff Dwarf's bad side and if his tone was any indication she was teetering dangerously close to it. Slumping her head down in defeat, she felt embarrassed at the fact that the others were probably watching her being carried away by Dwalin.

Then again any normal person would feel the same if they were in her position currently.

All too soon Silvia found herself being forced to sit on that one rock for a third time and glanced up to find the Dwarf leveling her with a stern, yet annoyed look.

"This is your _last_ warning. If I see you up again I won't hesitate to bind your arms and legs." Dwalin threatened. "Do I make myself clear?"

Silvia gulped loudly at the look Dwalin gave her, as if he was silently daring her to disobey him at that moment. Even if she wanted to protest she couldn't form the words to voice her thoughts. She ended up weakly nodding in compliance, knowing the Dwarf would make good on his threat if she didn't. Seeming satisfied by her response he immediately left her alone to finish his task.

Silvia was frustrated by the fact that everyone seemed to be boycotting her help today. Why were they acting so weird? It made no sense whatsoever, especially with how it came out of nowhere. Had she done something to annoy them during their travels? She searched her mind but nothing seemed to come up. She hadn't complained about anything so it couldn't be that.

"You look troubled."

She glanced up to find Thorin in front of her. She wasn't surprised to find him talking to her since he seemed to have a tendency of confronting her when she was feeling distressed about something. It was strange how he appeared to be looking out for her at such times.

"I don't understand what's going on, Thorin." Silvia said. "Every time I try to help out I keep getting told to sit down and rest. Why is everyone acting so weird?"

"Because I told them to." Thorin answered.

Silvia stared at Thorin with wide eyes, unsure she heard correctly.

"You told them to act this way?" He nodded. "Even the part with Dwalin carrying me like a sack of potatoes?"

"Even that."

Silvia sighed heavily before rubbing her eyes.

"Why?" She asked.

"You've been pushing yourself these past few days, Lady Silvia. I commend you for not complaining, but even the race of Men have limits they shouldn't surpass. Not once have you asked for rest during our travels."

"I don't want to slow any of you down."

"That may be, but both you and our burglar aren't used to traveling as much as we do. Unlike us you two require some time to rest and we're prepared to take short breaks when needed. That's why we've stopped early today and are allowing you to rest for the time being."

As much as she wanted to argue her case Silvia knew she couldn't. Dwarves were stubborn and if Thorin was determined to have it this way, then there was no changing his mind.

"At least give me something to do. Please."

Thorin didn't say anything and just walked away. Silvia hung her head, realizing that he was done talking to her. She didn't want to be left with nothing to do except think since her thoughts would lead to things she didn't want to be reminded of. She was taken by surprise when an object wrapped in green cloth was held out to her before she looked up to see Thorin had returned.

"I believe you to be musically inclined to learn how to play. You may keep it in your possession until I have need of it."

As soon as Silvia took the object from his hands Thorin left her alone. She wondered what the object was as she unwrapped the green cloth from around it, only to have her eyes widen at what she found. Gleaming in the light of the sun was the golden harp she'd seen Thorin used when she'd been dancing with everyone back in Rivendell. And he was entrusting her with this instrument.

Curiosity got the better of her as she held the harp in one arm (just as she'd remember seeing Thorin do) before using her free hand to pluck a string. The sound that greeted her was simple yet soft and soothing to the ear. She experimented again by trying a few more strings before slowly running her fingers across all of them gently. Silvia honestly didn't know how to play a harp and to say she was an amateur was accurate enough.

To have a better idea of this would be to compare her to a child who's never played a piano before, only pressing a few of the white keys one at a time to make a simple tune and say that they knew how to play.

That was how she felt while plucking the strings on that golden harp, but the random notes had a soothing effect on her mind that she found herself enjoying. Maybe one day she would learn how to play properly but for now she would continue experimenting to pass the time. After awhile she found herself closing her eyes, a small smile gracing her lips as she started getting used to the musical instrument in her hands and listened to the simple little tune she had come up with.

Silvia had been so focused on the music she'd been playing that she hadn't been aware of the small crowd she attracted to her, or the fact that they sat on either side of her. She didn't even know they were there until she felt a hand being placed on her shoulder, causing Silvia to suddenly stop playing and turn to face a pair of blue eyes to her right. The owner of those blue eyes chuckled at her reaction and she blushed in turn.

"You have a good ear, Lady Silvia." Fili told her. "Though your technique could use some work."

"I'll admit I don't know how to play. I only just started." Silvia said.

"Don't worry. You'll learn with time."

"I'm surprised that Thorin lent you his harp."

Silvia turned to her left to find Kili sitting there.

"Why is that?"

"We like to believe it's an heirloom or memento from our grandfather, Thrain, though uncle never says anything about it when we ask." Kili said.

"So it's special to him, then?"

"That's the impression we tend to have. Which is why we're surprised to see you using it." Fili explained.

Silvia pulled the harp away to look at it. If what Fili and Kili said was true did that mean Thorin trusted her enough with something so valuable to him? What had she done to earn such trust from the Dwarf leader? She couldn't comprehend the meaning of such a gesture.

"I didn't realize this meant so much." She said. "I should return it."

Silvia made to get up but then two pairs of arms pulled her back down to sit on the rock she'd been settled on.

"You're not allowed up, remember?" Fili said.

"And last I checked, I recall Dwalin mentioning something about binding your arms and legs if he saw you up again." Kili added.

Silvia froze as she remembered this fact. The gruff Dwarf would make good on his threat and she wasn't going to test that theory. Both Fili and Kili were chuckling at her and she glanced at them with a red face.

"You two can laugh all you want, I'm not taking any chances with Dwalin." She told them.

"We're sorry, but that's not why we're laughing." Fili said. "It's your reactions and facial expressions we find amusing."

She huffed slightly, much to the two brothers' amusement since they laughed, and that led to her letting out a sigh.

"You're over here for a reason."

This caused them to stop laughing and turn to face her.'

"She's a sharp one."

"I don't think I remember her being this way, Fee." Kili added.

"Please stop dancing around the subject." Silvia said, getting a little annoyed.

At this they smirked mischievously at her and Silvia was reminded of those same looks from back in Rivendell.

"There's nothing to dance around, Silvia." That cheeky little-!

"Although…you could, you know, take a guess." Fili whispered, having leaned in close to her ear and causing her to blush. "We can always tell you if you're right or wrong."

Correction, both Fili and Kili were being cheeky! Silvia thought over why the two were sitting with her and had immediately ruled out them being here for idle chit-chat. When it came to them they usually had a reason (as far as she could tell) whenever they approached her and this time was no different. And seeing as they stopped her from getting up the answer made itself obvious.

"Bodyguards." She replied.

"Bodyguards?" They both asked.

"Now why do you say that?" Fili asked.

"Because you have no ponies to watch, which is what Thorin usually has you two doing."

They looked as if they didn't know what to make of her answer but at the same time they did. The longer she looked the harder it was to hold back the smile that was threatening to show itself. And that was when she started laughing. At first they seemed confused but then Fili and Kili joined in laughing with her.

"There _are _no ponies to watch!" Kili laughed.

"Which is why you two are watching after a…mortal girl." Silvia stated, almost having called herself 'immortal'.

"I don't recall you being this spirited. Now where was this side of you hiding?"

"From you all, maybe." Silvia shrugged.

"And what else are you hiding?"

Silvia froze at this, realizing that Kili wasn't aware of what he was asking. Even if he were currently joking with her. They couldn't know about her being half Elf, or that she was currently hiding on Elvish blade at that time. If they found out they would-!

"Now that you mention it, she _does_ look like she's hiding something." Fili mused.

Silvia was surprised when the blonde haired Dwarf gently grabbed her chin and turned her to face him. She could see his blue eyes searching her face while his eyebrows were knitted slightly in the process. She felt anxious under his scrutiny and her heart started hammering in her chest when he leaned his head closer to her to get a better look.

"You look fatigued. Either you're still not used to traveling on the road, or you're not getting enough sleep at night."

She mentally sighed in relief that her fears hadn't come to pass.

"I think I may have enjoyed my stay in Rivendell a little too much. As far as beds go, at least." Silvia joked.

"True. But you must remember that we're in the wilderness now and unable to afford such luxury in these placed."

"I know. It's just a little difficult getting back in the routine, is all."

"Maybe you should take a nap for a little bit."

Fear gripped Silvia's heart at the idea of sleep as she thought of the nightmare, or her father being killed.

"No…" She whispered fearfully.

Fili gave her a confused look as he let go of her chin.

"Silvia?" He asked.

"No!" She was louder this time as she jerked away from the blonde haired Dwarf.

Everything happened in a blur. One minute Silvia was jerking away from Fili, and in the next she found herself staring up at the sky on the ground while the back of her head throbbed with a dull pain. Speaking about Fili, he and Kili were gazing down at her with worried expressions on their faces. Why were they so worried? The blonde haired Dwarf reached down and wrapped an arm behind her shoulders to carefully lift her up, while the dark haired brother gingerly took the golden harp from her hands. Silvia was relieved to see that it hadn't been harmed in her fall.

Wait!

She fell?

Would that explain the slight pain her head was in? Why Fili and Kili looked so worried about her?

"Are you okay, Lady Silvia?" Fili asked, gently prodding the back of her head with his fingers.

"I'm fine." She replied, hissing quietly when Fili's fingers touched the bump forming on her head. "I fell off, didn't I?"

"Indeed, lass. You gave us a bit of a scare." Fili sighed in relief, a small smile forming on his lips. "Looks like there's no blood, but you'll have a small bump for the next few days or so."

"Am I in trouble? Is Dwalin going to tie me up?"

"You just fell off the rock you were sitting on and you're worried about Dwalin tying you up?" Kili asked. "I think you might've mixed up your priorities at the moment, or you might be joking."

"I don't know. Which do you think it is?" Silvia asked.

"Cheeky!" He grinned. "Why aren't you like this more often?"

"Oh, don't torment the poor girl, Kili. She's still a little disoriented." Fili stated.

"I'm not disoriented, Fili." After a few tries she managed to sit up on her own. "I'm completely fine and capable of thinking."

"We still think you should lie down."

"No! I don't need to lie down or take a nap. I'm not tired." She sighed. "Just…leave me alone for a bit. I need time to think."

Fili and Kili shared a look and stood up, the dark haired Dwarf handing her back the harp before following his brother away. Just as she requested Silvia was left alone with her thoughts. She turned to lean her back against the rock she'd previously sat on to face away from the others. She knew the Dwarf brothers were trying to help her, but she didn't like how they kept insisting on her to take a nap. She didn't want them to know about her nightmare, that it was because of her fear that prevented her from sleeping at night. It was bad enough that her eyes had dark circles underneath them for all of the Company to see and she got the feeling they were starting to get suspicious.

Silvia glanced down at the harp in her hands before holding it up to play a bit. A tune appeared in her head and she plucked the strings as she played it slowly, making sure she got the right notes. She wasn't sure what the song was but it sounded familiar to her for some reason. It wasn't until she reached a certain point in the song that Silvia suddenly stopped playing altogether, her eyes wide as she realized _why _it sounded familiar.

It was the song she sang when they had been traveling on the road, the one that had made her cry for some unknown reason.

But now she knew what that reason was. Her mother had sang that song to her when she was still alive, back when she was still a little girl getting ready for bed or had trouble sleeping at night. She had cried because the song had invoked nostalgic emotions that she'd associated with it, and just as Thorin had told her that night she had subconsciously remembered her mother even if she hadn't been aware of it at the time. She smiled sadly as she remembered the name of the song itself.

For the very song her mother, Merildis, had sang was known as Sleepsong.

'_How fitting…_' Silvia thought.

* * *

That night dinner was served earlier due to the Company having made camp earlier, but despite this there was hardly any conversation among the Dwarves. This concerned Silvia since the others were prone to having something to talk about at this point of the day, even if it was to discuss something as mundane as the weather. Even Bilbo kept to himself and wasn't sitting beside her as he usually did, which she found herself missing the conversations she would have with the Hobbit.

"Here you go."

Silvia jumped at the voice and looked up to see Bofur holding the bowl she'd used to eat not that long ago. She was confused by this.

"I already ate." She told him, having already eaten her full.

"I know you don't eat as much as we do, but you need to keep up your strength." He stated.

She was about to tell Bofur that she couldn't eat anymore when he suddenly knelt down in front of her, placing the bowl carefully on the ground before taking a hold of her hands in his larger ones. He gazed at her with concerned green eyes and she felt horrible as she realized where this was going.

Guilt trip.

"Sweetheart, you know we're just worried about you. You're not adapted to life on the road like we are and we want to make sure you're able to keep up." Bofur then released her hands before handing her the bowl. "Just eat as much as you can for now, okay?"

"…Okay. Thanks." Silvia replied.

Bofur smiled before patting her on the shoulder. Silvia gazed down at the bowl and spooned some of the food, thinking that the Dwarf had already left her. She was surprised when something had been placed on her head, the large object obscuring her vision as it covered her eyes. Dropping the spoon she used her free hand to lift he object off her head to find it was a familiar looking hat, and sitting beside her was Bofur who grinned at her reaction. It was strange to see him without his trademark hat on his head, but he didn't seem to mind since he'd been the one to place it on her head. She found herself unable to hold back a smile.

"There! That's what I've been waiting to see all day." Bofur laughed.

"Why the hat?" She asked.

"You're practically family now. And like Bilbo you're one of us."

Silvia's heart warmed at this. Family… She was considered family…

"We're family?"

"Yes. And like family we look after one another." It was then that Bofur fixed her with a stern look and pointed a finger at her. "Speaking about looking out for each other, you haven't been asking for breaks like I told you."

Silvia gulped at this, realizing she'd been caught.

"Sorry."

Bofur sighed, shaking his head.

"Silvia, Silvia, Silvia." He looked at her. "I admire your determination, but that can only get you so far. You need to understand that you're still new to this lifestyle. Even _we_ need rest when required and even we have our limits. Don't try to make our limits your own since it'll only serve to wear yourself out faster."

"That's an interesting way of putting it, Bofur."

When it came time for everyone to fall asleep Thorin was asking for volunteers for the first night watch. Seeing as this would give her an excuse to stay awake Silvia volunteered, which caused the Dwarf leader to regard her before agreeing to let her. It turned out that he would be joining her as well and that made her feel nervous. She found herself sitting a foot or two away from Thorin who was smoking his pipe. She hugged the golden harp close to herself and kept her cloak wrapped around herself as she watched the smoke drift through the air, all the while the sound snoring reached her ears and being the only sound besides their breathing and the crackling sounds of the warm fire.

"We all heard you playing." Thorin suddenly said, causing Silvia to jump at the sudden sounds.

"Y-yeah." She confirmed. "Though I was more or less experimenting with how to play it than anything."

"I'll admit your skills are that of a novice, but that's to be expected since you've only started learning to play. You'll improve in time."

"Fili and Kili were telling me how you don't usually lend others your harp. They think it's because it's a sort of special heirloom from their grandfather, or your father."

At this Thorin chuckled quietly in amusement.

"My nephews always had wild imaginations and a tendency to exaggerate some details." Silvia could see Thorin's blue eyes twinkle in the light of the fire as he turned to face her. It was almost like he were recalling fond memories of Fili and Kili growing up, as if he was their own father instead of their uncle. "It was my grandfather, the previous king that gave me that harp when I was still a Dwarfling. Just a simple gift that's held a special place in my heart."

"What was he like, if you don't mind me asking?"

"My grandfather, Thror, was a loving Dwarf who ruled justly. All who followed looked up to him, for he had brought wealth and prosperity to the kingdom of Erebor. But as the wealth continued to grow, so too did he change. We came to believe that there was a sickness on that treasure, a gold sickness, and with my own eyes I saw how it ensnared my grandfather's mind. It's ironic that the very treasure that brought Erebor its prosperity would bring its downfall when the dragon Smaug appeared."

Thorin turned back to face the fire and as he gazed into the bright flames Silvia wondered if the memories of that tragic day were playing before his eyes, along with the emotions that he experienced. She couldn't imagine the fear he and the rest of the Dwarves felt as they fled their halls from the dragon fire, the hopelessness of being unable to stop such a beast from destroying their kingdom, and the sadness of losing their home and being forced to wander as nomads of sorts. Even if she could imagine what it was like, her thoughts would greatly pale in comparison.

"I promised myself on that very day…if we were to ever reclaim our kingdom, I wouldn't fall victim to the gold sickness, that I would succeed where my grandfather failed and try to fix the mistakes he made. But I feel that if we should finish this quest I might not be able to fulfill that promise."

"I'm sure you will, Thorin, just as long as you don't lose sight of that goal. If you can learn from your grandfather's mistakes then you already have a place to start." She told him.

"Inspiring words, though you're unaware of how big the conflict in my mind is. But there is truth to what you say and I'll take it to heart if only to ease my mind." He sighed deeply. "I am…glad you decided to continue traveling among us, even though you knew the risks you would be taking."

"To be honest I was scared to come along." Silvia thought back to how she felt back in Rivendell, when Ithilwen left her alone and the emotions she felt in her moment of being so vulnerable. "I know I could've stayed there in safety, and in a way I think you might've considered leaving me behind for my protection."

"The thought had crossed my mind multiple times during our stay, as well as the others'. If it meant keeping you safe from harm we would've left you in the care of the Elves despite our animosity towards them. Instead I gave you the choice to decide for yourself what you wanted, even though you pledged your loyalty to me."

"And I'm glad you did since I know you could've easily left me behind without telling me. I chose to come since I knew I'd miss and worry about all of you. I spent days getting to know everyone and learned what I could about the world. Nothing could replace that sort of experience."

"Indeed." Thorin took a drag from his pipe, wisps of smoke escaping past his lips when his mouth opened. "Let me see what you've learned."

Silvia was confused by what Thorin meant, but when the Dwarf gestured to the harp she held she realized he wanted her to play. She felt nervous as she situated the instruments in her arms, knowing that he'd be watching her. She took a deep breath to calm herself down before plucking the strings, but when she realized she was playing Sleepsong she began to hesitate.

'_No._' She thought. '_I need to pull through this._'

She continued playing despite her feelings and did her best to keep her emotions in check the entire time. She started remembering a little more about her parents and how loved she'd been when they were still around. Eventually the song came to an end and Silvia was surprised at how well she was keeping it together.

"Your posture and hand position are good. Your skill is still basic and you're unfamiliar when it comes to knowing which note each cord makes, but this is to be expected. You can also add more emotion to your music if you strum more than one cord at specific times, making it easier to convey the true beauty of the song you play. With enough time and practice you'll be able to play as well as any minstrel. I recognize that song you played just now. It was the one you sang to use during our travels."

Silvia nodded sadly, lowering her eyes.

"My mother sang it to me when I was a little girl every night. It's called Sleepsong, ironically enough." She told him.

"You're starting to remember."

"Just bits and pieces. I've only just remembered my parents."

"Tell me about them."

Silvia searched through her mind trying to decide what to tell Thorin about her parents. She knew she'd have to be careful about Merildis since she was an Elf. Richard wouldn't be such a problem since he was human, and seeing as everyone thought she was mortal (and looking like one despite the Elvish blood in her veins) this would make things slightly easier for her to explain.

"My father's name was Richard and my mother's name was…Meril." She started, glad that she stopped herself from saying her mother's full name. "I always considered my mother to be the most beautiful woman in the world, but that could've been my biased opinion as a child growing up all those years ago. I'm sure we've all thought that way about our own mothers."

"It's only natural to view the one who gave birth to you in such a light." Thorin agreed. "I noticed how you talk about your parents, as if something happened to them."

She nodded.

"They died. I don't really remember how my mother died, only that it was some sort of illness and that I was too young to understand at the time. But my father…"

Silvia trailed off as images of her nightmare flashed before her eyes, only to soon full out play it as if it were taking place. She could hear the sound of the TV playing the home video as she got closer to the living room. She could remember why Richard had been drinking at that time, seeing as it had been her parents' anniversary that day. Fear and desperation took ahold of her as she watched 'herself' lift the gun she held in her gloved hands.

No…!

No!

NO!

Don't kill him!

Please don't kill him!

He was just a man mourning the loss of his wife!

He hadn't done anything wrong!

BANG!

A sudden stinging pain on her cheek brought Silvia out of her thoughts and she found Thorin in front of her, an apologetic look in his eyes as well as one of understanding. She wondered why as she brought a hand up to her cheek before realizing he must've slapped her.

"It was the only thing I could think of." He told her, his voice sounding regretful.

Silvia nodded weakly as she rubbed her cheek to ease the pain a bit. Memories of being slapped came to the forefront of her thoughts, but rougher and more painful—nothing like the one the Dwarf gave her which only had enough strength necessary to bring her back to her senses and with no intentions of hurting her. She knew that the slaps hadn't been from her parents and instead from someone else, someone who had hated her for nor real reason.

Emily.

"So this is why you've refused to sleep these past few days. You've been having nightmares of your father's death."

Silvia flinched at this and looked away. There was movement in front of her before she was forced to look at Thorin due to the firm grip he had on her chin.

"You're only a few years short of adulthood, but at times you act like a child." This wasn't spoken in a condescending way despite his words. It was more like he was pointing something out to her. "You may have thought yourself clever to try and hide your lack of sleep from us, but your efforts are as predictable as any other child. I've helped raise my nephews long enough to recognize such patterns of behavior, and you are no different."

"You knew?" Thorin nodded. "How?"

"Bilbo and Bofur. They informed me about how you woke up and ever since I've had the others keep a close eye on you. I'm surprised you've lasted this long, but I must warn you now that I won't tolerate this kind of behavior in the future. If you continue going on like this I will have one of my men tie you up and force you to sleep. I don't need you making yourself sick just because you've neglected to take care of yourself. Do I make myself clear, Silvia?"

She found herself nodding, knowing that Thorin could do worse and possibly force her to leave the Company. He released her chin.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to slow you all down." She whispered.

"But you will if you're not mindful of your health. I understand that these nightmare terrify you and that you're having them because you're starting to remember, but you need to remember to rest regardless of how scared you might be." Thorin took ahold of the harp before looking at Silvia. "I will play you a song that I've once used to lull Fili and Kili to sleep and other such occasions where they would suffer from nightmares as well. Afterwards, I expect you to go sleep for the remainder of the night."

"What about the night watch? Who will take my spot?" Silvia asked.

"I will pick someone to take your place. They're prepared to do so since you volunteered, knowing I would comfort you on what we've discussed."

"Wait. If you can just pick two people to go on watch-!" Silvia's eyes widened as she came to a sudden realization. "You tricked me by getting me to volunteer."

"I exempt you from watch and allow you to sleep for a reason. The fact you volunteered tonight only proved to us that you were avoiding sleep."

Thorin turned away and began playing a song on the golden harp, his skill at playing the instrument showing as he seamlessly plucked and strummed the strings with skilled fingers. The song itself was soft and soothing to the ears as Silvia listened, understanding why the Dwarf would play such a song to his nephews when they were younger. It made her think of Sleepsong, but instead of making her feel nostalgic and sad this song made her feel hopeful for a bright future, that there would be a happy ending for the companions she traveled with. All the fears she had concerning her nightmare simply vanished, as if they were never there to begin with.

However the song came to an end and Silvia could feel a sort of aftertaste from the effect Thorin's song had on her. She felt slightly drowsy and let out a yawn.

"Go and get some sleep, Lady Silvia. The road ahead will be long and rough tomorrow so you'll need your energy to keep up."

"What about the harp?"

"It will be given to you in the morning."

Silvia nodded before getting up and carefully making her way over to where she placed her satchel to sleep, only to feel something gently tugging on the end of her cloak. Glancing down she found the culprit to be a certain blonde Dwarf who was very much wide awake.

"You're with us tonight." He whispered.

"W-why?" She could feel her face starting to blush.

"We're your 'bodyguards', remember?" Fili gave her a smirk. "And also because we say so."

Silvia tried to think of an excuse.

"Won't Kili mind?" She tried.

"Of course I won't mind." Speak of the devil. Now the younger brother was gazing up at her. "Now get down here before you start to freeze."

Before Silvia could protest she found herself wedged between two Dwarf brothers; she hadn't noticed it before but they had placed their bedrolls side by side on the ground. She blushed at how the older brother had wrapped his arms around her shoulders along with her being wrapped up in her cloak in the process, the younger brother being right behind her. She could feel the heat radiating off their bodies and she shivered as she noticed how warm they were in comparison to the chilly air that night.

To an observer the sight would've been considered quite comical, seeing how Silvia was sandwiched between two Dwarves that she towered over by a good few inches and being held close by Fili as if she were a teddy bear.

Yeah…this situation wasn't awkward at all.

At least she didn't have to worry about getting cold.

"Are you okay down there?" Fili asked, his voice hushed.

"Y-yeah…" She replied, her heart pounding due to her close proximity to Fili and Kili.

"Why didn't you tell us you were having nightmares?"

Silvia frowned.

"It was my problem to deal with."

"Obvious you weren't doing such a great job if Thorin had to play his song." Kili retorted, though it wasn't harsh.

"When _was_ the last time we heard him play that song?" Fili asked.

"When we were still in our 20s, I think."

Silvia had to wrap her mind around the Dwarves being a lot older than they appeared and tried to figure out how it all worked. If both Fili and Kili were 82 and 77 respectfully and appeared to be in their late 20s to early 30s, then did that mean the both of them being in their 20s had made them children?

'_This is so confusing._' She thought. '_My head's starting to hurt a bit._'

"Stop thinking and go to sleep, Silvia."

She tensed when she heard Fili's voice right next to her ear and her face felt 100 degrees warmer than normal as she remembered how close she was to him.

"H-how…?" She started.

"That's how." He interrupted softly. "Now sleep."

As uncomfortable as she felt in this situation Silvia slowly started to drift off to sleep, the warmth she was enveloped in only serving to speed up the process. It wasn't until now that she realized just how tired she was from having stayed awake for so long.

That night she slept peacefully with no nightmares.

* * *

ATE: Explanation time!

(1) Dwarves boycotting Silvia: The part with the Dwarves forcing Silvia to sit down was to show that they're concerned about her and the fact that they're refusing to allow her to help makes it obvious. In my opinion the best part was Dwalin carrying Silvia over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and even going as far as threatening her.

(2) Thorin: We already know that the Dwarves are concerned about Silvia, and Thorin is no exception. I wanted to show that despite being serious and stern our favorite Dwarf leader can have a sense of humor as well (what with him ordering the others to refuse Silvia's help and the bit concerning the night watch).

(3) Thorin's harp: I already established that the Dwarves had their instruments back in Chapter 13. I thought that Thorin lending Silvia his harp would show how he and the others trust her. When I was writing this part and the part with Silvia playing the harp I imagined the harp itself being more of a lyre than anything, seeing as this would have to be something Thorin would have to carry around along with the other Dwarves as well. As for Thorin telling Silvia about where he got the harp from, along with Fili and Kili's theory of how he got it, I showed that it the harp itself is special to him and that entrusting it to Silvia was a show of faith (and possibly goodwill) in regards to her.

As for her playing Sleepsong on the harp, I was listening to a harp version of said song on a Youtube video called "[Instrumental Cover] Secret Garden - Sleepsong Karaoke Instrumental" by Winona Flammery Eder. Just so you know what it sounds like when Silvia plays it.

(4) Fili and Kili: I remember how **GypsyWitchBaby **mentioned in her review from Chapter 12 how she thought the bit concerning Fili and Kili (and their characters) funny, so I thought to bring a bit of that back in this chapter. I like showing how Silvia interacts with the Durin brothers and some parts just started writing themselves.

(5) Silvia's personality: I don't know if anyone has picked up on it yet, but by this point Silvia's companions have started to notice that she's starting to change a bit since she's starting to remember, as noted by both Fili and Kili while interacting with her. This is supposed to happen gradually.

(6) Silvia's bodyguards: Because of Silvia's comment during her conversation with Fili and Kili, these two decide to take her seriously (or not so seriously depending on certain situations) and appoint themselves as such despite any protests she might have about it. They just like messing with her, don't they?

(7) Bofur's hat: Rarely does Bofur part with his hat. Actually, it's kinda hard to see him without his trademark hat and I actually got the idea from an image I found on DeviantArt called "the hobbit doodle" by PabutteGO (it's the doodle concerning Bofur and Bilbo). I'll always add that I have so much fun writing Bofur at times!

(8) Thorin's past: I did my best at attempting to flesh out Thorin's past and his character a bit with him telling Silvia about it. I hope I did okay with it. Sorry I don't have more to say about it than what this chapter already established.

(9) Thorin's song: I liked the idea of Thorin having possibly played the harp for Fili and Kili when they were younger and the song that gave me the inspiration and the idea for it was found on Youtube called "Dwarves' songs in the hobbits hole (on celtic harp)" by strawrawraw. That's the song I imaged Thorin playing in this chapter and the fact that it was played on a harp made it even better.

Next chapter we'll resume the plot and we have a Thunder-Battle coming up!

That's it for now! What did you all think? Like it? Hate it? Can't get enough of it? Any questions concerning this chapter? Leave a review with your thoughts and questions and I'll respond at the earliest I can! ;D


	17. Thunder-Battle

ATE: Boy, has this week been busy for me! There was a lot of preparing on me and my roommate's part because she's moving out (because she graduated), plus there's her wedding I have to attend tomorrow since she appointed me her maid of honor. And here's the kicker: she doesn't plan on rehearsing AT ALL! Then again, she did say it was a casual dress wedding. Anyways, big thanks go out to **VG fan1**, **ro781727**, and **Eruwaedhiel95** for their reviews on the previous chapter and anyone else whose still reading out there.

Now to address the guests:

**VG fan1**: I figured that you the mistake you made was unintentional, and such mistakes do happen at times (I'm just as guilty). Don't feel bad! I get the feeling that a lot of readers found the part when Dwalin carried Silvia to be hilarious and even reading through it I find myself laughing so hard that my roommate gave me a weird look. As far as your search goes for the love interest, keep looking! I get the feeling that you'll be able to figure it out before Chapter 18 (which is when the love interest's identity is revealed). If the suspense is killing you, then I'm doing my job right! You got 2 chapters left to figure it out!

Declaimer: I don't of The Hobbit or LOTR. I only own my OCs.

* * *

~*~Chapter 16~*~

Silvia's mind felt hazy and she slowly came in and out of consciousness. She was warm and content as she buried her head deeper into her pillow, not wanting to wake up. That all changed as she started realizing a few things.

The bedrolls didn't have pillows.

And they definitely didn't have arms.

Her eyes shot open and she found herself staring into Fili's sleeping face when she pulled hers away slightly, his deep breathing lightly blowing into her face from how close she was to him. Not only did she feel his arms around her but there was a third draped across her waist from behind, and glancing behind her (to the best of her abilities due to her movements being so constricted) she found Kili sleeping closely behind her…a little _too_ close to her seeing as she was practically sandwiched between two Dwarves.

Well, who would've thought to make a sandwich out of two Dwarves and a half Elf?

Joking aside Silvia had to figure a way to get out of this awkward situation without waking the brothers _or_ the others that were still sleeping. This…wasn't going to be easy.

Silvia tried to move out of Fili and Kili's hold but that only resulted in them tightening their hold accompanied by two sleepy groans being quietly uttered. She blushed when this happened and wondered if they were even aware of what they were doing. She was also finding it a little hard to breathe.

The sound of movement caught her attention and she glanced (to the best she could) in the direction it came from to find a certain Hobbit awake.

"Bilbo!" She whispered loudly to catch his attention. "Bilbo!"

It seemed to do the trick since Bilbo turned to face her and he opened his mouth to speak but stopped short, looking as if he were unsure of what he saw as he took a double-take and even going as far as to squint. He eventually came over and his brown eyes seemed to widen as his suspicions were confirmed.

"Silvia?" He whispered, seeming befuddled.

"Bilbo. We're friends, right?"

"Ye—" He gave her a confused look. "Y-yes, but I fail to see how that's relevant to your…_situation_." He gestured with his hand towards herself and the Dwarf brothers as he said the word 'situation'.

"Please, please, _please_ help me out of this."

Bilbo stared at her for what felt like hours and before he started walking away, looking flustered (or maybe awkward, she thought).

"No! Bilbo, don't you _dare _leave me like this! No!"

Silvia let her head fall back on the bedroll, only for it to land on top of something solid which caused Kili to groan and she realized that it must've been his arm she landed on. She let out a quiet sigh of exasperation at her situation, not at all liking it. Thorin had been awake when she got in this situation so he must've known that this happened to her (and save her from explaining herself). Or Thorin could've known this the whole time and convinced Fili and Kili to do this to her. Knowing her luck so far, it was probably the latter of the two.

If this was the kind of trouble a few days without sleep would give her, then she would gladly go to sleep at night if only to avoid her current situation.

Now to get out of said situation.

Silvia couldn't exactly shimmy her way out of their hold (seeing as this only served to tighten their arms around her body), and she couldn't call out to anyone on watch since she'd wake the others. Which left her to wait for Fili and Kili to wake up.

"You two better wake up before the others." She muttered, more to herself than to the brothers.

"What if we don't want to?"

A few things happened to Silvia in that moment. Her body stiffen when she heard the unmistakable voice next to her ear, followed by a shiver slipping down her spin upon feeling the warm breath causing goosebumps on her on her skin, and then the blush that appeared on her face as she knew who it was. She knew it was pointless to turn around even if she could, but that wasn't happening anytime soon.

"He's right, you know?" She then found a pair of blue eyes starting at her. "What _if _we don't want to?" Fili repeated.

"I don't think you realize it, but I'm extremely uncomfortable being stuck between the two of you at this time." She told them.

""You were perfectly fine with it last night."

"Only because I was tired. I don't want to get caught like this when the others wake up."

"Morning isn't until a few hours. You have time to spare."

"I'm not worried about how much time I have left, I just want you two to let me go."

"What's in it for us?"

Silvia sighed, getting the feeling she was going to regret what she said next.

"I'll do whatever you want."

She saw Fili look over her shoulder at Kili and she got the impression they were agreeing on something. He then turned back to her and smirked.

"You'll be sticking with us like this for the next few nights. At least until we're on the other side of the Misty Mountains." He said.

And she already regretted her words. Just her luck. Wasn't she just _trying _to get out of this situation?

"Why?"

"You said you'd do whatever we wanted." Kili told her.

"*Or are you having second thoughts?" Fili asked. "We're your _bodyguards_, remember? We want to make sure you sleep at night."

"But-!"

"Unless you accept our terms, you'll be staying here until everyone wakes up."

She should've known they would pull something like this. She really had no choice but to accept, seeing as trying to argue with them would be pointless. Why did she get the feeling they were hiding something?

'_They can keep their secrets for all I care._' She thought.

"Fine." She agreed. "Just as long as you let me go."

"Done."

Fili unwrapped his arms from around her and Silvia made to get up, but found she couldn't. She realized Kili still had his arms around her and (despite the blush on her face) huffed.

"I thought you said you'd let me go!" She whispered loudly.

Correction: my brother said _he'd _let you go." Kili told her, as if it were obvious. "You never said anything about me, Silvia."

"You know full well I meant _both _of you. Now please let me go, Kili."

She could hear the dark haired Dwarf sigh dramatically behind her.

"Fine. If you insist."

Silvia scrambled to get away as soon as Kili released her and quickly got up. She found herself shivering in the chilly morning air despite wrapping her cloak tightly around herself. As much as she hated to admit it, she was already missing the warmth Fili and Kili gave off while she slept between them, and she was almost tempted to go back. Key word being _almost_. Silvia quietly made her way over to the fire while being careful not to disturb the others still sleeping. Not only did she find Bilbo sitting close to the fire visibly shivering but Bofur was close by as well, having been paired off with the Hobbit.

"I see you're up and about, Silvia." Bofur quietly greeted when he noticed her. He then pointed at Bilbo using the tip of his pipe. "Although Bilbo told me you ran into some 'trouble' a while ago. Were the lads giving you a hard time?"

Silvia didn't miss the smirk that appeared on the Dwarf's face and sighed.

"I feel as if this is some sort of punishment on their part." She told him.

"_Punishment_? I wouldn't call it that exactly. Think of it as being reassurance that you were able to sleep last night."

"I won't bother arguing with you since I know you can all be stubborn."

Bofur chuckled.

"Smart lass."

Silvia turned to look at Bilbo who was still trying to warm himself up and she felt sorry for the poor Hobbit. She went over to where he sat and knelt beside him, taking her cloak off before wrapping it around his small form. He jumped in surprise and turned to stare at her with brown eyes wide in surprise.

"S-Silvia?" He stammered, mainly due to the cold.

"You were cold." She stated the obvious.

"But what about you? Won't you get cold?"

Despite how cold she felt without her cloak she smiled at him.

"You need it more than I do."

A thoughtful look appeared on Bilbo's face before he shook his head. He started removing the cloak from around him.

"I can't accept this. It isn't proper for me to allow a woman to freeze."

"How about a compromise?"

Before Bilbo could ask what she meant Silvia grabbed the end closest to her before scooting to sit next to him and wrapping the cloak around the both of them. She mentally laughed at the Hobbit's reaction as he sputtered a bit.

"W-what are you doing?"

"We both don't want the other to freeze so I decided we should share for now. Until it starts getting warmer."

She had a feeling that he was blushing but gave her a weak smile.

"Thank you."

* * *

The Company continued to travel after having eaten and packed. Like he promised Thorin had given her his harp to hold onto which she was grateful for. Silvia remembered to ask for breaks whenever she felt tired and she got the feeling that her companions were silently cheering that she did so. It was a good thing that she stared taking breaks due to what occurred a few days later.

What occurred a few days later, you ask?

They finally reached the Misty Mountains.

Silvia hadn't been prepared for the temperature to drop like it did, seeing as the climate on the mountain was cold. It was during those nights they spent on the mountain that proved to be the most difficult for her. Or at least it would've been if it hadn't been for Fili and Kili making her sleep between them due to their 'deal' they made earlier all those days ago. As much as she hated to admit it she was thankful that they were doing this for her, even if they had their…reason.

However a huge thunderstorm decided to make an appearance along with the down pour of rain it brought with it. It was like buckets full of water were being dumped from the dark gray skies above them, making the day they traveled in the rain on horseback seem like a spring shower. Despite the cloak tightly wrapped around her the howling wind cut right through her, causing her teeth to chatter as she made a futile effort to keep warm even though she was soaked to the bone. She, along with everyone else, must've resembled drowned rats at that time.

It didn't help that the rocky path they were taking had become slick and dangerous. A few times Silvia had slipped on the wet rocks and would've fallen off the very narrow path if it hadn't been for either Fili or Kili catching her. It was a good thing she was traveling between them.

"Hey! Hold on!" Thorin yelled, holding onto the side of the mountain.

Everyone was doing their best at being careful as they traversed the narrow path. Silvia heard Bilbo give off a yell of fright, soon followed by Dwalin calling out the Hobbit's name. Both he and Bofur managed to grab Bilbo before he could fall off the side of the mountain.

"We must find shelter!" He hollered, though for the most part the sound of the boom thunder tried to drown out his voice.

Silvia couldn't agree more. She was freezing cold and Bilbo was definitely worse off since he didn't even have a cloak.

"Look out!" Dwalin yelled.

"Look out, brother!" Gloin exclaimed.

A yelp of fright left her mouth when a boulder suddenly came out of nowhere and slammed into the side of the mountain directly above them, crumbling into pieces. They all yelled in fright as they took cover as best they could at the time. At least none of them got hurt from the falling rocks.

"This is no thunderstorm. It's a Thunder-Battle!" Balin yelled.

A WHAT?!

"Look!" The old Dwarf pointed to something urgently in the distance.

"Well, bless me. The legends are true." Bofur exclaimed in awe as he moved forward. "Giants! Stone-_Giants_!"

Stone Giants?! Silvia's face paled when she saw the two colossal forms that were made out of stone, just as the name implied. How hadn't she noticed them before now? Her eyes widened as she realized why.

They were the mountain, or part of it.

She saw the one Stone Giants hurling a boulder at the other, one of them getting hit in the 'face' and started falling towards them. Suddenly another one was being hurled in the direction they came from and it turned out that it hit another Stone-Giant.

"Take cover, you fools!" Thorin yelled.

Kili pulled Bofur out of the way from getting hit before they all started pushing themselves close to the mountain side, avoiding the falling rocks in the ground started to shake, but it wasn't because of the creature's impact.

"What's happening?" Kili asked.

The ground below her feet began to split apart down the middle and she started to panic, not knowing what to do.

"Kili! Grab her!"

Silvia suddenly found herself being shoved in the direct they were going in before a pair of arms wrapped protectively around her.

She quickly turned her head to look behind her and her eyes widened when she saw Fili, along with a few other Dwarves and Bilbo, stuck on the other side of the still growing gap that had previously been beneath her feet. She saw the fear in his blue eyes as he looked at them and her heart started pounding in her chest.

"Take care of her!" Fili yelled, or at least that's what it sounded like.

No! He couldn't be saying what she thought he was!

"Fili!" She cried out.

Silvia turned around in her captor's hold and tried to reach out to the blonde haired Dwarf, but she was abruptly pulled back as the arms tightened around her. She struggled against the hold that tightened with every desperate attempt she made.

"No! It's too dangerous!"

She turned around to face her captor and found herself staring into frantic brown eyes that continuously shot between her face and that of Fili's form. Just seeing the scared look on Kili's face told her that he was just as desperate to save his older brother but knew that there was nothing they could do about it.

He suddenly pulled Silvia close and curled himself a bit around her to protect her just as the new Stone Giant they were on started moving, causing the ground to shake violently. Her fear seemed to make things blur and she could hear Thorin and Balin urging them to run, and at their command the Dwarf protecting her pulled her along with him as they jumped off the Stone-Giant's leg. Her knees gave out from underneath her but Kili managed to keep her from falling and lowered both of them to the ground for some stability, a hand being placed behind her head keeping her face buried in his chest and preventing her from looking back. She could hear his heart racing as it pounded against his chest due to their close proximity, along with the fact that his body was trembling in fear and worry for Fili. Whatever Kili was preventing her from seeing Silvia knew that it had frightened him, especially if it had anything to do with the Stone Giant falling with the other half of their group.

The others!

"No!" Thorin yelled, his voice filled with anguish. "No! No! Fili!"

Silvia tried to pull her head away from Kili's chest to look, but the Dwarf kept it firmly in place.

"Don't look, Silvia!" He hissed in her ear, loose strands of soaked hair brushing against the side of her face and she could feel the water dripping onto her skin.

Kili must've felt her trembling since he held her closer and his arms tightened around her. Not only was she scared but she was slightly frustrated with herself for not being able to do anything to help the others. It was almost the opposite of how things were with the Warg incident, and it didn't help that Kili said the same words Fili told her when the Dwarves killed one of the Orcs pursuing them.

'_Oh god!_' She thought, pleadingly. '_Oh god!_'

But the sound that reached her ears made her gasp.

"It's all right! They're alive!" Gloin exclaimed.

Kili's hold on Silvia loosened and she was able to look up in time to see Thorin rushing over to Fili before embracing him, looking relieved. Even the dark haired Dwarf got up and hugged him when Thorin was done and she could see how relieved he looked yet the fear of almost losing his brother still lingered in his eyes. Before she knew it Silvia found herself wrapping her arms tightly around Fili and started crying. She must've surprised him since he was tense, but he eventually got over it and wrapped his arms around her as well.

"I'm okay, lass. I'm okay." He whispered to her.

"Where's Bilbo?" Bofur suddenly asked, sounding frantic. "Where's the Hobbit?"

Silvia pulled away abruptly and searched around for Bilbo with the others. No… He couldn't have…! She got up and ran to the edge of the cliff, only to have her eyes widen.

"Bilbo!" She cried.

"There!"

She could see the fear in his eyes as he held on for dear life, all the while trying to find purchase.

"Get him!" Thorin ordered.

Ori jumped forward and tried to grab for Bilbo, but the Hobbit slipped and barely managed to catch onto a rock with one hand. Silvia could hear him yelp in fright and she could've sworn her heart skipped a beat, fearing for her friend's life.

"Grab my hand!" Ori yelled.

"Bilbo!" Bofur cried out, joining Ori in an attempt to reach for the Hobbit.

Bilbo tried to reach up for Bofur's hand, but he seemed to fall short.

"Ori, be careful!" Dori exclaimed.

"Take it!" Ori reached down as far as he could.

Acting on impulse Silvia tried to reach down for the Hobbit, only to be pushed to the side when Thorin jumped down to save Bilbo himself.

"I've got you, lad." Dwalin said.

"Grab on! Grab on!" Ori yelled.

The Dwarf leader reached down and grabbed Bilbo before flinging him up to where they were, but he ended up almost losing his grip and fall. Luckily Dwalin came to his rescue by catching him in time and pulled Thorin to safety.

"I thought we'd lost our burglar." Dwalin said, sounding relieved.

"He's been lost ever since he left home." Thorin suddenly said, his voice harsh as he glanced at the Hobbit. "He should never have come. He has no place amongst us."

She glanced over to Bilbo and saw the dejected and shocked look on his face. She almost wanted to hug him if it meant he'd feel better.

"And the girl…"

Silvia's eyes widened in shock and turned to face Thorin, noticing that his shoulders were hunched a bit as he realized his own words. Even though he hadn't finished his thought, the damage had been done and he apparently regretted it. She didn't need to hear him say any more to understand the message he was implying.

She _was _a burden.

Silvia's heart ached at this while feeling a lump form in her throat. Had she made a mistake in coming? She tensed when she felt someone pulling her to her feet and leading her into a cave that the Company had found. When she was gently pushed down to sit on the cold ground she looked up to see Fili gazing down at her in sympathy, giving her what she thought was a comforting smile.

"He didn't mean what he said." He told her, taking a seat beside her.

"Yes he did, Fili." She said. "He didn't need to finish his sentence for me to understand the message."

"He was caught up in the moment, so to speak." Fili sighed. "These are some stressing times for all of us. Surely you can understand that much."

"I guess. I know he regretted his words, but it doesn't mean they didn't hurt."

"I know." He suddenly pulled her up. "Time for sleep."

Silvia blushed as she remembered the 'deal' she made with Fili and Kili and saw that the others had already set up their places and were getting ready to sleep as well. She shivered, noticing the lack of a warm fire.

"No fire?" She asked.

"No fire." The blonde Dwarf confirmed. "Thorin wants us to leave at first light."

"What about Gandalf?"

"Plan's changed. We can't afford to wait, apparently."

They soon approached the place Fili and Kili had set up and she saw that the younger brother had taken his coat and cloak off to dry (as well as Fili, now that she realized it). Upon noticing them the dark haired Dwarf moved over a bit to give Silvia some room before the blonde Dwarf sat on her other side and leaving her in the middle. As she was staring down at her lap she didn't notice the looks the Dwarf brother exchanged; Kili silently asking Fili something to which the latter responded by shaking his head.

She soon found herself laying down on her side facing Fili (her cloak having been removed to dry with theirs) as she clung to him like a small child. She could hear the brothers quietly chuckle at her actions but at the moment she could care less as she sank into the warmth they provided, their arms wrapping around her. She was too cold and exhausted to care about how awkward she felt sleeping between Fili and Kili.

* * *

_Silvia knew she was dreaming since she saw Merildis and her younger self sitting at the table in the kitchen, her mother drawing while the little girl watched. She approached the table to look over her mother's shoulder to see her carefully painting the drawing she had finished, the drawing itself being a pretty woman that she recognized to be a she-Elf (even though back then the younger Silvia hadn't known at the time)._

_Silvia herself was mesmerized at how lifelike the drawing was, almost to the point that it could've been mistaken for a photograph if one didn't know better. She had been so distracted that she hadn't realized Merildis was almost done painting the drawing, the last thing she worked on being the green outfit the she-Elf wore._

_Now that she got a good look the she-Elf had beautiful long red hair and green eyes that twinkled in the same amount of happiness that the smile on her lips expressed. Something about the she-Elf's appearance gave off the impression that she was dangerous as she was beautiful and graceful, if the Elvish blade she wielded was any indication._

"_Who is that, mommy?" Her younger self asked._

_Merildis looked up and smiled._

"_This is a very good friend of mine, Silvia. We were once very close, to the point that we were just like sisters. In fact, I viewed her like a younger sister since I was older than her." She explained._

"_If she is your sister, does that make her my aunt?"_

_Her mother laughed the same way she'd come to associate with Elves._

"_I said she was _like_ a sister, not that she was my sister. But I get the feeling she would like you if she met you."_

"_Will I ever meet her?"_

_Silvia didn't miss the sad smile that appeared on her mother's face._

"_I am not sure. Maybe someday you will, sweetie."_

_She wished she could hug Merildis since she knew she never got the chance to see Ithilwen or the she-Elf that she was friends with before she died. She pitied her mother and could understand how sad she was. But this was nothing more than a memory from her childhood._

"_Do not pity me, my daughter. My time had passed all those years ago."_

_Silvia's eyes widened when Merildis turned to face her, brown eyes staring straight _at_ her. How was this possible? Wasn't this all a dream, a memory? Her mother stood up from her chair and turned to face her completely. She tensed upon feeling that soft slender hand that was placed on her cheek, not at all expecting the gesture that reminded her so much of Ithilwen or the loving expression that graced her face as she gazed down at her._

"_You have grown so much since I last saw you, Silvia." She said._

"_M-mon… I…!"_

"_You need not say anything. You could not help having amnesia, but all the same I am glad you have remembered your father and I." Merildis then glanced over her shoulder and Silvia saw she was looking at the drawing she did of the she-Elf. She then turned back to her. "You will be able to meet her, given your current circumstances."_

"_What do you mean?" Who is she?" Silvia asked._

_Instead of answering her Merildis' face morphed into a fearful look, causing Silvia to suddenly become anxious._

"_Wake up!" She suddenly cried out, confusing her._

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_WAKE UP!"_

* * *

Silvia's eyes shot open upon hearing the frantic voice of Thorin rousing everyone from sleep. She was about to ask what was going on when the ground literally opened up. Her brain hardly had time to register she was falling until a scream erupted from her mouth.

They were falling!

* * *

ATE: Explanation time! Sadly, not as many as I'd like. XD

(1) "And the girl…": Uh oh. Looks like Thorin's already regretting what he said about Silvia. I think I can understand where he's coming from, seeing as he thought he lost Fili and the rest of his companions. I can only imagine the amount of stress Thorin would be in, and sometimes when you're stressed you tend to say things you don't really mean. You can tell that Thorin didn't mean to say that Silvia was a burden (he didn't even need to finish his sentence for her to figure this out) but the fact that it slipped caused enough damage for Silvia to question her place among everyone.

(2) Fili and Kili's coats/cloaks: Watching through the movie while writing this part made me realize that Fili and Kili don't have cloaks and instead have hoods on their coats themselves. As for them taking them off to dry, I know they didn't do this in the movie either, but logically any sane person would want to do this just for the hope that it'll get dry enough to wear.

(3) Merildis' drawing: I think it's obvious who Merildis drew if you read the description of the person. Need I say more?

So what did you all think? Any questions? Whatever your thoughts and questions are leave it in a review and I'll respond back to you. ;D


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